Villanueva flags Cale88's P150 million sales with only 2 staff in 2024

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Senator-judge Joel Villanueva on Friday questioned how Cale88 Foods Corporation generated P150 million in sales in 2024 despite having only two employees at the time.

On Day 37 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, Villanueva raised a question about the food company listed as the business interest of Mans Carpio, the vice president’s husband. Villanueva asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Office of the Commissioner chief of staff Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez, about the firm’s sales and losses in 2024.

“Based po dito, may sales po sila na P150,595,605 na exempt at may sales din po na under sa—subject to regular income tax na P169,564 or a total of P150,765,259,” Garcia-Marquez said.

Garcia-Marquez also said that the company had expenses amounting to P11,428,809.

Villanueva, referring to the company’s general information sheet, questioned how the company could have P150 million in sales but only have two employees.

“Kasi gusto kong malaman bakit ganun? Dalawa lang yung employees na submitted? Around P150 million ang reported sales and based on previous witnesses, nabanggit pa yung foreign transactions. Senator Risa made mention of this. Kung kaunti lang yung employees, paano po yun? Paano na-handle yung, uh, ganitong kalaking operations?,” Villanueva said.

(I want to know why? There are just two employees submitted? And P150 million in reported sales, and based on the previous witness, foreign transactions were mentioned. Senator Risa made mention about this. If there were only a few employees, how is that? How was it handled for this huge operation?)

The BIR witness said that she could not say for certain as she was not with that company, but maintained that it was hard to reconcile.

“If ganito po at manufacturer po siya ng… banana chips, then parang impossible po unless naka-machine sila ng dalawang employee lang,” Garcia-Marquez said.

(If they are a manufacturer of banana chips, then it seems impossible unless they have a machine just for two people.)

Villanueva also tried to ask Garcia-Marquez about the list of wages of Cale88’s employees in 2023, but the latter remarked that she does not have those details. However, he noted that there were P23 million in gross sales in 2023, according to the company’s general information sheet. —LDF, GMA News