Vice President Sara Duterte arrives at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, September 5, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday said reported financial flows from China into a Philippine-based company associated with the family of Vice President Sara Duterte posed serious national security implications.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to soldiers wounded in Monday’s Basilan ambush, Teodoro said proper attention should be given to the issue, noting that information and records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) had already been presented during the impeachment proceedings.
“May implications ito na malalim sa national security kasi ito ay tungkol sa maaaring impluwensya sa government processes,” Teodoro said in a chance interview.
(This has deep implications for national security because it concerns possible influence on government processes.)
He called on law enforcement agencies to properly investigate the matter and take appropriate action.
“Dapat masusing imbestigahan ito para sa ganon, may ligal at karapat-dapat na aksyon tungkol dito kasi may serious implications sa national security ito,” the Defense chief said.
(This should be thoroughly investigated so that proper and appropriate legal action can be taken because this has serious implications for national security.)
The National Security Council (NSC), for its part, said it was taking the information seriously and would look into the records and information presented during the impeachment proceedings.
It added that it would continue to task intelligence and investigative agencies and coordinate with relevant government institutions to assess the national security implications, if any, arising from the reported transactions.
“While the proceedings remain ongoing and the information presented should be properly examined within established legal processes, the reported transactions and any credible information involving significant foreign financial flows that may bear upon the country’s national security warrants careful, in-depth, and responsible assessment,” the NSC said in a statement.
AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified during the impeachment trial that Cale88 Foods Corporation, a company in which Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, had a business interest, received P319.33 million in inward remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.
Of the amount, P315.935 million came from mainland China and P3.39 million from Hong Kong, according to the AMLC’s tabular summary presented during the proceedings.
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Three Cale88 transactions were reported as suspicious because there was no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification, according to Buenaventura.
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