House prosecution adviser and spokesperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers stated on Friday, October 2, 2026, that the latest disclosures from former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV regarding financial transactions and corporate interests allegedly linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her family deserve serious examination.
Barbers issued the statement after Trillanes publicly presented evidence he intended to submit before the Senate Impeachment Court, highlighting that portions of the financial trail identified by the former senator have already been independently corroborated by government records.
Barbers emphasized that Trillanes was originally named in the prosecution’s witness list because his information directly pertained to Article II of the impeachment complaint, specifically allegations involving financial transactions, assets, corporate entities, and potential discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
“The disclosures made today by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV deserve serious attention,” Barbers said. “Senator Trillanes did not merely give us accusations. He identified a financial trail. And portions of that trail have already been independently corroborated by official records.”
Barbers noted that 19 random transactions selected from the annexes of Trillanes’ sworn affidavit during an April 22 House Committee on Justice hearing were all matched against Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records.
“Nineteen out of nineteen transactions checked had corresponding transactions in the AMLC records. Not one. Not two. Nineteen out of nineteen,” Barbers said. He added that when prosecution teams later cross-checked bank records obtained via subpoena against AMLC filings, all 15 initial bank accounts matched.
Although Trillanes asked to be excused as a prosecution witness to spare the panel from political pressure, Barbers stressed that his departure does not mean the prosecution is repudiating the evidence he uncovered.
“A witness stepping away from the witness stand does not make independently existing documents disappear,” Barbers said. “AMLC records remain AMLC records. Bank records remain bank records. SEC records remain SEC records. SALNs remain sworn public documents.”
Trillanes’ disclosures covered historical financial activity compared against Duterte’s SALNs; transactions involving members of the Duterte family and businessman Samuel “Sammy” Uy; SEC records involving Gencorp Industries Inc. and Metro City Chow Foods Corporation; and account movements linked to Cale88 Foods Corporation, associated with the Vice President’s husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio. Trillanes also alleged over P319 million in financial inflows to Cale88 from Chinese government-linked entities and foreign corporations.
Barbers noted that the AMLC is expected to present summaries of covered and suspicious transaction reports involving Duterte, Carpio, and related corporate entities, alongside records on foreign inward remittances and investment accounts.
“Ang tanong ngayon ay hindi kung paniniwalaan ba si Trillanes. Ang tanong ay: Ano pa sa mga inilantad niya ang mapapatunayan ng mga opisyal na rekord?” Barbers said. “Sundan ang pera. Sundan ang mga dokumento. Ihambing sa SALN. At hayaang ang opisyal na rekord ang magpatunay kung saan hahantong ang ebidensya.”