Sara Duterte camp questions contradictory AMLC bank transaction data

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The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday questioned the contradictory covered and suspicious bank transactions discussed in the impeachment trial compared to what was discussed during the earlier probe by the House Committee on Justice.

On Day 33 of the impeachment trial on Monday, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said P4.4 billion worth of covered and suspicious transactions were recorded under the bank accounts of the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio.

But this is far from what the AMLC presented during the April 22 hearing, wherein transactions totaling P6.7 billion—classified as covered and suspicious—were recorded under the couple’s names.

“Nagkaroon po ng system error, base na ito mismo dun sa abogado ni Atty. Mans Carpio, na itong meron daw P2 million transaction na na-report ng BPI bilang 2 point something billion. Kaya po lumobo ng P6.7 billion ,” said Paolo Panelo, the vice president’s spokesperson.

(There was a system error, based on the lawyer of Atty. Mans Carpio, where a 2 million transaction was reportedly reported by BPI as 2 point something billion. That is why it inflated to P6.7 billion.)

“Kaya yun po yung sinasabi natin bakit hindi pwedeng i-share lang bigla ng AMLC yung raw data nila dahil kailangan mong i-verify yan, kailangan mong alamin kung ano yung konteksto ng mga... ng mga transactions bago mo isisiwalat,” he added.

(That's why we are saying why AMLC cannot just suddenly share their raw data—because you need to verify it, you need to know what the context of the... of the transactions is before you disclose it.)

Of the P4.4 billion, AMLC executive director Ronel Buenaventura also testified that P1.63 billion accounted for inflows, while P1.3 billion was for outflows.

He also said there are P1.4 billion worth of covered and suspicious transactions with undetermined inflows and outflows.

When asked whether the contradictory amounts are “fatal” to the case, Panelo said this only shows how raw data from the AMLC can be inaccurate, noting that the Bank of the Philippine Islands owned the mistake.

“What I'm saying is, when it was presented in the House Justice Committee, it was presented like it was 6.7 billion and... From what I understand, at that time, the House Justice Committee was already aware that BPI, included in the AMLC report, is the explanation na out of the 6.7 billion pesos, 2.2 of that, BPI is claiming is an error,” he said.

“Tapos ngayon, siyempre wala na silang choice para aminin na meron ngang nagkaganon. Kaya ngayon, ang pinapalabas nila, 4.4 billion. It's not fatal or anything; it's just a demonstration of how raw data from the AMLC can be misleading or inaccurate,” Panelo added.

(And now, of course, they have no choice but to admit that something like that actually happened. So now, what they are making it appear to be is 4.4 billion. It's not fatal or anything; it's just a demonstration of how raw data from the AMLC can be misleading or inaccurate.)

In a statement on May 4, 2026, BPI said, “As a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)-supervised institution, Bank of the Philippine Islands adheres strictly to all applicable laws and regulations, including those governing bank secrecy, data privacy, and consumer protection."

BPI also said it “complies with required reporting and regulatory engagements through the proper authorities, and provides relevant clarifications when necessary.” —LDF, GMA News