The National Security Council (NSC) will examine P319.33 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong to Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr. said Tuesday the NSC would coordinate with intelligence and investigative agencies to assess whether the transactions have national security implications. He stressed that the impeachment proceedings remain ongoing and the reported transactions must undergo established legal processes.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) told the Senate impeachment court Monday that Cale88 received P319,326,770.41 in inward remittances, including P315.94 million from mainland China and P3.39 million from Hong Kong. The records covered 143 transaction reports and three suspicious transaction reports.
AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura said the three flagged transactions, totaling about P9.78 million, cited the absence of an underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification.
Carpio held a 47.5% interest in Cale88 through 2024, according to records presented in the proceedings. The remittances went into the company’s corporate accounts, rather than directly into Carpio’s or Duterte’s personal accounts.
The NSC’s review comes as the foreign inflows become part of the broader impeachment case concerning Duterte’s financial interests and disclosures. Duterte’s camp has said the AMLC testimony did not establish that the funds were illegally sourced or belonged to the vice president. (Marjohara Tucay)
