House Committee on Public Accounts Chair and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua dismissed attempts to downplay Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) findings on Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial transactions, stressing that the core issue lies in six consecutive years of SALNs declaring zero cash assets despite recorded banking activity.
Chua, who is also a member of the House Committee on Justice, was responding to remarks by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, who argued that discussions should focus on around P63.8 million during Duterte’s vice presidential years rather than the broader P3.92-billion figure flagged in AMLC records.
For Chua, the dispute over amounts misses what he described as the central inconsistency.
“Ang punto dito ay hindi kung alin sa dalawang halaga ang paniniwalaan. Kahit alin pa diyan, nananatili ang tanong: bakit zero ang dineclare mong cash on hand at cash in bank sa SALN mo mula 2019?” he said.
He emphasized that the issue is not the size of the transactions but compliance with mandatory disclosure requirements for public officials.
“Hindi ito laban ng malaki o maliit na halaga. Ito ay laban ng pantay na pagpapatupad ng batas. Walang special rule sa SALN—kahit sino ka pa,” Chua said.
He added that the SALN is a sworn legal document and not subject to selective reporting or interpretation.
“It is a violation of the sanctity of the SALN. Hindi ito usapin ng interpretation—ito ay usapin ng pagsunod sa malinaw na obligasyon sa batas,” he said.
Chua also drew comparisons with rank-and-file government employees, noting that they are held strictly accountable for inaccuracies in their declarations.
“Yung mga simpleng empleyado ng gobyerno—kahit maliit ang kita—nagde-declare nang tama sa kanilang SALN. At kapag nagkamali sila, napaparusahan agad—nasususpinde o natatanggal sa serbisyo,” he said.
“Ngayon, kapag Vice President ka ba, exempted ka na sa rule na ito? May ibang standard ba para sa mataas na opisyal?” he added.
He further argued that even the lower transaction figures cited by Duterte’s camp still require reconciliation with SALNs that consistently showed no declared cash holdings from 2019 onward.
“Kahit sa sarili nilang argumento, may bank transactions ka habang zero ang dineclare mong cash. Hindi nagtutugma. At ‘yan ang hindi nila masagot nang diretso,” he said.
Earlier presentations before the House Committee on Justice showed that Duterte’s SALNs from 2019 to 2024 repeatedly indicated no cash on hand or in bank deposits, even as her net worth increased during the same period.
“That pattern is what gives weight to the AMLC findings. Hindi lang ito galaw ng pera, kundi ang malinaw na disconnect sa sinumpaang deklarasyon,” Chua said.
He urged the public not to be distracted by debates over varying financial totals, stressing that SALNs require full and honest disclosure of all liquid assets.
“Ang SALN hindi press release, hindi spin, at hindi puwedeng selective ang disclosure. Kung may pumapasok at lumalabas na pera sa system, obligasyon mong ilagay ‘yan sa SALN mo,” he said.
Chua reiterated that the central question remains: how recorded bank transactions in AMLC reports can be reconciled with repeated SALN filings showing zero cash assets.
The issue gained further attention following AMLC disclosures indicating that accounts linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, were associated with billions of pesos in covered and suspicious transactions over several years, deepening scrutiny over the gap between declared wealth and financial activity.