PASAY CITY, Philippines — Defense counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte stated Wednesday that she was not involved in transactions concerning a ₱41.7-million Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account held jointly with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Appearing on the 34th day of the impeachment trial, defense panel member and spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa issued the clarification following inquiries from Senator Risa Hontiveros regarding the ownership and management of the account.
The defense previously addressed the matter in a February 23 letter sent by Poa to a BPI senior vice president and legal counsel to confirm details about accounts linked to the vice president.
The document noted that Duterte possessed no “knowledge, participation, or recollection of maintaining or having any beneficial interest” in the specified accounts.
That communication was earlier withdrawn during Poa’s cross-examination after BPI Division Head for Central Manila Branches Marwin Galvez stated he could not authenticate the document.
Poa explained that the vice president requested a verification of the accounts after they were brought up during a 2024 House Quad Committee investigation.
“Well, to better phrase it, our client (Duterte) does not have any recollection kasi of this account,” Poa told Hontiveros.
The transactions in question stemmed from a time deposit maintained by Duterte and her father at BPI’s Julia Vargas branch in Pasig City.
Galvez testified that the time deposit was originally opened in January 2010 with an initial deposit of ₱40.65 million.
The witness detailed that the deposit underwent 12 successive rollovers, ultimately reaching approximately ₱41.7 million upon its final maturity in February 2011.
The proceeds totaling ₱41.7 million were subsequently transferred into a settlement account registered under both Duterte and the former president, where the funds were later used to buy a manager’s check that has drawn interest in the impeachment proceedings.
When Hontiveros asked if the vice president’s statement of having no recollection implied that her father handled the transactions, Poa clarified her position.
“Ang sinasabi lang niya, wala siyang naging partisipasyon dito,” Poa replied.
“I hope you understand, I just don’t want to prejudice also the former president and his counsel for any legal defenses they may have regarding these accounts,” he added.