The integrity of Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial declarations has come under intense scrutiny following a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealing billions of pesos in transactions linked to her and her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio.
La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega raised alarms over the massive discrepancy between the couple’s actual cash flow and their publicly declared wealth, suggesting the figures point toward potential unexplained riches.
During a House Committee on Justice hearing, the AMLC disclosed that the accounts in question were involved in approximately ₱6.8 billion worth of “covered and suspicious transactions.”
Ortega emphasized that the sheer scale of the movement—measured in billions—shatters the image of modest living the Vice President has projected.
“Huwag paloko ang publiko. Magkaiba ang milyon sa bilyon. Hindi ito simpleng inconsistency. Kung ang isang opisyal ay nagdedeklara ng milyon, pero ang galaw ng pera ay umaabot sa bilyon, posibleng indikasyon ng unexplained wealth lalo’t hindi sila nagpapaliwanag,” Ortega stated.
A Stark Contrast in Figures
The lawmaker noted that these findings are irreconcilable with Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
Records from the Office of the Ombudsman show Duterte’s net worth grew from ₱7.25 million in 2007 to ₱88.51 million by 2024. Most notably, her filings from 2019 to 2024 reportedly declared zero cash on hand or in banks.
“Kung pagbabasehan ang AMLC records, malinaw na bilyonarya pala si VP Sara. Hindi ito tugma sa SALN na milyon lang ang dineklara. May malaking agwat na kailangang ipaliwanag,” Ortega remarked.
“Malinaw ang ipinapakita ng AMLC records. Bilyon-bilyon ang pumasok at umikot sa mga account na may kaugnayan sa Bise Presidente. Hindi ito tugma sa kanyang mga dineklarang yaman sa SALN.”
Demand for Accountability
Ortega stressed that the SALN is a binding legal obligation to the Filipino people rather than a mere formality. He argued that any significant gap between a public official’s declarations and their actual financial activity necessitates a clear explanation or legal accountability.
Dismissing claims that the investigation is politically motivated, Ortega insisted that the issue centers on the truth and the public’s right to know the origins of such vast sums.
“Ang SALN ay hindi simpleng dokumento lamang. Ito ay obligasyon sa taumbayan. Kapag may malaking agwat sa dineklara at sa aktwal na galaw ng pera, malinaw na may kailangang ipaliwanag—at kung hindi maipaliwanag, may pananagutan,” he said.
“Hindi ito usapin ng politika. Usapin ito ng katotohanan at pananagutan. The Filipino people deserve clear answers. Saan nanggaling ang perang ito at bakit hindi ito naipakita nang tama sa SALN?”