Today is the 34th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is set to face cross examination from the defense.
12:25 p.m. - The Senate impeachment trial court takes alunch break. Trial will resume at 1:30 p.m.
12:15 p.m. - Senator-judge Francis Pangilinan says there are many interesting things to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) regarding Cale88.
Cale88 was incorporated in 2021. AMLC records show that the company had transactions amounting to more than P1.25 billion from 2022 to 2025.
Carpio was supposedly a 40% stockholder of Cale88 in 2022, and this share rose to 47% in 2024. His name was no longer included in the company's General Information Sheet (GIS) in 2025 and was allegedly replaced by Pikimong Pikimong Philippines Corporation.
12:01 p.m. - Senator-judge and Senate President Win Gatchalian asks Buenaventura if Cale88 can be a candidate for money laundering because the books supposedly do not reflect P776 million.
Cale88, based on records, has a paid up capital of P125,000.
Buenaventura says it can be a candidate but they need to consider other factors such as the source of the transaction.
11:52 a.m. - Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson asks Buenaventura how many CTRs and STRs they receive and analyze in a month.
Buenaventura recalls that they received reports amounting to at least P120 million last year or P10 million a month.
Lacson says this is why the AMLC is stymied.
11:44 a.m. - According to the STRs on Cale88, the transactions were considered suspicious because there is "no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification."
11:41 a.m. - Buenaventura reads the addresses of the counter parties shown in the CTR on inward remittances to Cale88. The addresses are in China.
11:36 a.m. - Divinagracia proceeds with her redirect examination.
11:11 a.m. - Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros says her office looked into the companies that transacted with Cale88 and found that there are allegedly Chinese state-owned enterprises, one of which is the China National Township Enterprises.
11:06 a.m. - Vinluan ends his cross-examination.
Senator-judges are allowed to interject while Atty. Mae Divinagracia, counsel for the panel of prosecutors, prepares for her redirect examination.
11:05 a.m. - Vinluan asks Buenaventura if the aggregate amounts in his tabular summaries are conclusive proof of the cash on hand or cash in bank of Duterte.
Buenaventura says AMLC records only show transactions.
Vinluan also asks if the tabular summaries are conclusive proof of the alleged unexplained wealth and ill-gotten wealth of the respondent.
Buenaventura says all he can say is that the tabulation is based on reported transactions. He adds that he has no personal knowledge on Duterte's Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
10:58 a.m. - According to Buenaventura, CTRs and STRs on corporations do not prove that Duterte committed money laundering.
10:55 a.m. - Buenaventura says the AMLC cannot determine, based on STRs alone, if VP Duterte's transactions are involved in the flood control anomaly, shabu importation and malversation of public funds. He says they need further investigation, if necessary.
10:50 a.m. - Buenaventura says the filing of STRs is not a conclusion of illegal activity and that it is for a court to decide if there is money laundering and if a transaction is illegal.
10:47 a.m. - Buenaventura confirms that AMLC records show remittances were made to Cale88, not to VP Duterte and Carpio.
He also says AMLC records do not show that the business entities Cale88 transacted with are illegitimate.
He adds that there is no mention in the AMLC report that China based entities which transacted with Cale88 represented China or the Chinese government.
There are no records of China funneling funds to Cale88, according to Buenaventura.
10:36 a.m. - Vinluan asks Buenaventura if AMLC has a record of how much of Cale88 Foods Corporation's transactions redounded to the benefit of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio.
The witness says he is incapable of answering this.
10:30 a.m. - Buenaventura clarifies that they did not rectify the AMLC records they submitted to the Impeachment Court. He says the records have been corrected, upon the request of the covered person, even before these were subpoenaed by the court.
10:18 a.m. - Buenaventura confirms that they did not verify if there are inaccuracies on the information contained in CTRs and STRs.
10:15 a.m. - Buenaventura confirms that the AMLC cannot conclude, through the mere reading of Covered Transaction Reports (CTRs) and Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), that funds were sourced from an unlawful activity.
10:13 a.m. - Before starting his cross-examination, Atty. Mark Vinluan, counsel for the respondent, says it is not their intention to cause intimidation especially to the members of the Impeachment Court. He specifically mentions Senator-judge Lito Lapid, whom they thank for the maja blanca.
According to Vinluan, their intention in cross-examining the witness is to test his credibility. The counsel apologizes if another message has been conveyed and commits to be more circumspect.
10:05 a.m. - Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Atty. Ronel Buenaventura is called to the witness stand.
10:03 a.m. - There are 16 Senator-judges present. Quorum is declared.
10:01 a.m. - Day 34 of the trial is called to order.
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