Firm linked to VP Duterte had fictitious head – Trillanes

MANILA, Philippines — An old food company with Vice President Sara Duterte as one of the shareholders used to have a fictitious president, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed on Friday.

In his press briefing in San Juan City, Trillanes said that Duterte listed two business interests in her 2025 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) — Metro City Chow Foods Corp. which used to be City Hall King Chow Foods Corp.; and GenCorp Industries Inc., which was formerly known as Timesquare Bee Foods Corp.

Duterte listed herself as an incorporator and stockholder of Metro City Chow, and a stockholder for Gencorp. 

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But on Timesquare Bee Foods, Trillanes said that based on documents that he and his team analyzed, the company president was a certain Ang Hai Peng, whose identity and personal details cannot be ascertained.

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“Doon sa dineklara ni Sara Duterte from 2013 to 2023, na Timesquare Bee Foods, may lumalabas na pangalan, ‘yong Ang Hai Peng.  Pero no’ng inimbestigahan po ito ng aming team, makikita po dito, wala siyang birth certificate, wala siyang passport, peke ‘yong TIN (tax identification number) niya,” Trillanes said.

(Part of what Sara Duterte declared from 2013 to 2023 is Timesquare Bee Foods, and there is a name that popped out, a certain Ang Hai Peng.  But when our team investigated this, we saw that he had no birth certificate, no passport, and a fake TIN (tax identification number).)

Trillanes, however, said this certain Ang Hai Peng vanished from corporate records after Timesquare Bee Foods was merged with GenCorp.

“Tapos no’ng 2024, no’ng minerge na, sabi ni Sara minerge niya na ‘yong Times Square Bee Foods sa GenCorp, nawala na, naglaho na sa kahit na anong dokumento itong Ang Hai Peng,” Trillanes said.

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(Then in 2024, when it was merged, Sara said she merged Times Square Bee Foods with Gencorp, that name was gone, Ang Hai Peng cannot be found in any document.)

“So sa madaling salita from 2013 to 2023, merong fictitious person na ginawang presidente ng kumpanya ni Sara Duterte,” he added.

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(So in short, from 2013 to 2023, there was a fictitious person that was made president of Sara Duterte’s company.)

Trillanes went as far as saying that the Ang Hai Peng had the same birthday as Jaime Tan Cruz, president and majority stake owner at GenCorp — leading him to conclude that this is the same person.

“Incidentally, parehas ang kanyang birthday with Jaime T. Cruz […] malamang sa malamang, iisang tao ‘yan,” he added.

(Incidentally, he shares the same birthday with Jaime T. Cruz […] more likely, that is one person.)

Trillanes vs Dutertes

In the press briefing, Trillanes presented documents which would have been part of his testimony before the Senate impeachment court, which is trying Duterte. 

On Thursday, Trillanes revealed that he asked the prosecution team, which initially intended to present him, to remove his name from their list.

Trillanes reiterated several of the accusations he made during the hearing of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice last April 22 — when it was discussing the two impeachment complaints against Duterte — like claims that Duterte and her relatives had maintained bank accounts deliberately hidden from  her SALN.

However, the former senator also presented fresh allegations, like claims that CALE88, another food company but this time owned by Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio, received funds from the Chinese government and China-based corporations as payment for banana chips.

Trillanes said there were several issues with CALE88 like the company’s low electricity costs despite operating as a banana chip manufacturer, zero trade receivables and payables, and the absence of rank-and-file employees.

READ: Trillanes: I asked Luistro to drop me as witness in Duterte trial

The more significant concern though, Trillanes said, is the P319 million that he claimed was paid in tranches from 2023 to 2025.

He also noted that a foundation where Duterte is an incorporator — the Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines Inc., received a P150 million donation from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines.

READ: Trillanes links P319M China funds to firm of Sara Duterte’s husband

Trillanes said the alleged transactions were particularly concerning because Duterte is vice president.

The Inquirer has asked the Chinese Embassy and the Office of the Vice President for comment, but neither had replied as of posting time.

Trillanes was supposed to testify for the prosecution on Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which involves allegations that Duterte has unexplained wealth and failed to declare assets in her SALN

However, lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro told the impeachment court on Thursday that the prosecution would no longer present Trillanes as a witness.

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Trillanes later said in a Facebook post that he had asked Luistro to remove him from the witness list to relieve pressure on the prosecution panel. He said he would instead disclose during Friday’s press briefing what he had intended to present in court. /gsg