Duterte’s issues beyond SALN, now a national security concern

MANILA, Philippines — Issues against Vice President Sara Duterte have gone beyond mere non-declaration in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and have escalated to a national security concern, House prosecution spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said.

In a press briefing on Tuesday after Duterte’s impeachment trial, Alonto Adiong described the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmation of financial transactions from accounts in China to Cale88 Foods Corporation—a company owned by the Vice President’s husband, Manases Carpio—“worrisome.”

AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified on Monday that Cale88 got over P319 million worth of inward transactions from companies based in China—which Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros said had links to state-owned corporations and the Chinese Communist Party.

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“Kung si Atty. Mans Carpio owned 47 percent of the stocks of Cale88, which actually had an activity, getting P700 million plus from inward remittances from any other country, especially China, na adversarial naman alam natin ang interest nila, eh mukhang hindi lang ho pagda-divest dapat ang isa sa mga issue ngayon,” he said.

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(If Atty. Mans Carpio owned 47 percent of Cale88’s stock, which actually had activity, receiving P700 million plus from inward remittances from other countries, especially China, whose interests we know are adversarial; then, it seems the issue here is not merely about divesting.)

READ: Defense cites no China gov’t ties to Cale88; Hontiveros says firms state-linked

“Ang issue ngayon ay pagtataksil na sa ating bansa because ni-negosyo mo ang kapakanan ng ating bansa […] nag-elevate na nga ’to, hindi lang sa issue ng impeachment and non-disclosure of the SALN eh, in fact, kanina nakakita lang ako ng bagong position ng NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency). This warrants an issue of national security,” he added.

(The issue now is about betraying our country because you treated the country’s welfare as a business […] it has elevated, beyond the issue of the impeachment and non-disclosure of the SALN, in fact earlier I saw a new position of the NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency), this warrants an issue of national security.)

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READ: ‘China money’ claim, if true, to have nat’l security implications — DND

When asked if the developments added weight to the prosecution’s case, Alonto Adiong said this might entail another violation of the 1987 Constitution.

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“Actually hindi lang heavier, hindi lang ’yong non-disclosures sa SALN […] what is so worrisome about this is there are portions of those inflow, cash na inward remittances, coming from different countries. Eh klaro naman po that the vice president and her husband, when it comes to assets, absolute community—ibig sabihin joint accounts sila dito, joint property sila dito,” Alonto Adiong said.

(Actually, it’s not only heavier, but it’s not only about non-disclosures in her SALN […] what is so worrisome about this is there are portions of those inflows, cash na inward remittances, coming from different countries. It is clear that the vice president and her husband, when it comes to assets, absolute community — meaning these are joint accounts, they share a joint property,” Alonto Adiong said.

“Apart from divestment na sinasabi ng Constitution na dapat walang business interest ang elected official, presidente, vice president, sinasabi rin po sa Constitution […] Article IX, Section 8, Paragraph b na hindi dapat ang elected na opisyal, empleyado ng gobyerno ay tumanggap ng any other emoluments or compensation, directly or indirectly, sa isang foreign country,” he added.

(Apart from divestment under the Constitution that an elected official, president, vice president, should have no business interests, it is also stated in the Constitution […] under Article IX, Section 8, Paragraph b, which states that an elected official or a government employee should not accept any other emoluments or compensation, directly or indirectly, from a foreign country.)

Last Friday, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed that Cale88 received over P319 million worth of funds from China-based companies and the Chinese government itself.

On Monday, upon the questioning of counsel for prosecution Mae Divinagracia, Buenaventura released reports showing that they recorded P319,326,770.41 worth of inward transactions coming from either mainland China or Hong Kong, towards Cale88—confirming Trillanes’ claims.

Duterte’s lawyers were able to secure a confirmation from AMLC that there was no document showing the Chinese government’s involvement with companies that sent funds to Cale88, but Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros claimed that at least two of the companies that forwarded money were linked to the Chinese government.

In her interjection, Hontiveros pointed out that her office looked into the background of two of the companies that transacted with Cale88—China National Township Enterprises and the Beijing Jianweifang Food Company.

Based on their research, Hontiveros said that China National Township Enterprises used to be directly under China’s Ministry of Agriculture, being a state-owned agricultural enterprise.

Meanwhile, the senator-judge said Beijing Jianweifang Food Company is owned by the Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, which in turn is a Chinese state-owned enterprise.

Hontiveros went on to say that within Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group’s corporate structure is a component of the Chinese Communist Party, while the chairperson of the Beijing Jianweifang Food Company is supposedly a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

After these revelations, no less than Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said that receiving funds from China-linked businesses could have national security implications.

“If this can be proven—and there is indeed prima facie evidence, as stated by the AMLC, then we really need to pay serious attention to this matter,” Teodoro told reporters after his visit to soldiers wounded in a Basilan ambush.

“This has profound implications for national security because it concerns potential influence on government processes,” he added.

Duterte is being tried before the Senate impeachment court over four main allegations. Currently, the prosecution is presenting evidence of Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which focuses on her alleged unexplained wealth and her supposed failure to disclose these in her SALNs.

Part of Buenaventura’s testimony was the confirmation of several flagged transactions involving Duterte and her relatives, amounting to P4.4 billion.

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At one point, Buenaventura testified that Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had made P193 million worth of unique bank transactions in just one day—on March 28, 2014. /cb