Today is the 33rd day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura expected to testify on covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and several companies.
11:25 a.m. - Vinluan asks Buenaventura if he prepared slides because some were shown while he was answering what covered and suspicious transactions are. Divinagracia stresses that Buenaventura is not coached. Vinluan says he will not belabor the point.
11:23 a.m. - The first subpoena sent to AMLC requires it to submit records from Jan 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2025 relating to Duterte, Carpio and entities related to them such as Metro City Chow Food Corporation, GenCorp Industries, 888 Bistro, and Calle88 Foods Corporation.
11:10 a.m. - A suspicious transaction report (STR), meanwhile, is a report where covered persons found there is a presence of suspicious circumstance in an account or transaction, according to Buenaventura. An example of a suspicious circumstance is when a transaction is not commensurate with the capacity or business profile of a client. 
Screenshot from Senate livestream
11:06 a.m. - The AMLC uses covered transaction or CTR reports in analyzing whether money laundering was committed.
11:04 a.m. - Buenaventura says a covered transaction is any transaction in cash or monetary instrument in excess of P500,000 in a banking day.
Screenshot from Senate livestream
11:01 a.m. - Buenaventura on what money laundering is: "Ito po 'yung pagpapalabas na 'yung pera galing sa illegal activity ay malinis po."
10:48 a.m. - Senator-judge Joel Villanueva supports Escudero's ruling. Villanueva says the confidentiality of bank deposits is an important policy of the State, but it has never been absolute. Villanueva mentions that the Bank Secrecy Law recognizes cases of impeachment as exemption to confidentiality of ordinary peso bank deposits.
10:45 a.m. - Escudero adds that Section 8-A protects AMLC information from leaks and unauthorized disclosure and cannot be construed to disable AMLC from performing its investigative and litigation functions. He explains that AMLC is not a passive repository and that confidentiality cannot be invoked in a manner that defeats its statutory mandate. Escudero: "The motion to exclude is denied."
10:40 a.m. - Escudero makes a ruling. He says Section 8-A of RA 9160 must be considered, but it does not follow that the AMLC reports have become absolutely immune from the compulsory process. Escudero: "Compliance with a lawful order subject to proper safeguards does not constitute, to the mind of the court, such a breach."
10:33 a.m. - According to Vinluan, the Vice President is not hiding anything, but the information must go through the proper process of verification in accordance with the law, and should not be publicized in an improper and malicious way. He moves for the exclusion of the witness, and says Duterte reserves the right to pursue all appropriate legal remedies against those who will violate the law and her rights.
10:31 a.m. - In her Offer of Testimony, Divinagracia says almost P4.5B flowed from 2022 to 2025 through the 15 corporations which Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, have interest in. Divinagracia adds this is different from the P44.4B which flowed through the accounts of the couple.
10:25 a.m. - Escudero asks Buenaventura if he will violate Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) by testifying. Buenaventura says he will not commit any violation because AMLA allows them to promulgate rules regarding the handling of confidential documents, and that their internal rules allow them to comply with competent authorities like courts. Buenaventura adds that the AMLC issued its information exchange guidelines in 2022.
10:20 a.m. - Atty. Mae Divinagracia will represent the panel of prosecutors; Atty. Mark Vinluan will represent the respondent.
10:19 a.m. - Today's witness, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, is called to the witness stand.
10:18 a.m. - Tulfo says it is about time to admonish Tongol: "This is not the first time. Maraming beses na siyang sumablay."
10:16 a.m. - Escudero adds that the mentioned timetable is based on math and not on the reality on the ground. He clarifies that the December 16 verdict is not the point of view of the court. Escudero: “The Court will instruct the spokesperson accordingly.”
10:15 a.m. - Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo says it might be about time to issue a warning on Impeachment Court Spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol. Tulfo says he received calls over the weekend saying Tongol allegedly prejudged the outcome of the impeachment trial by saying in a media interview last week that a final verdict may be reached on December 16. Escudero says that is not entirely accurate, and that the statement on the timetable can only be based on the pretrial order.
10:10 a.m. - Escudero: "Hindi tayo puwedeng mawalan ng loob sa ating ginagampanang tungkulin, hindi tayo puwedeng pumatol at dapat ipawalang bahala na lamang anomang pag-aalburoto, anomang pagsasalita, anomang tanim na galit na nilalabas ninoman sa husgado at sa hukumang ito. We will be focused on our job at hand." "We shall not be distracted nor detracted by the rantings or tantrums of anyone inside or outside of this courtroom."
10:07 a.m. - Senator-judge and Presiding Officer Francis Escudero reminds everyone to not lose sight of their common purpose, says their duty is not to prevail over one another, but to assist the court in the fair and orderly administration of justice.
10:03 a.m. - Quorum is declared with 14 Senator-judges present.
10:01 a.m. - Day 33 of the #VPOnTrial begins.
LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial (Day 32)