The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte may face major challenges if the impeachment case reaches the Senate, according to the chairperson of the House Committee on Justice, who cited the volume of evidence presented during congressional hearings.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said one of the strongest issues raised against the Vice President involves the alleged discrepancies between Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) findings and Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
“Even if I put myself in the shoes of the defense, I would really find it very difficult to establish my defense,” Luistro said, referring to the evidence already presented before the House panel.
The House plenary is expected to deliberate on the committee report and Articles of Impeachment on May 11 after the justice panel unanimously found probable cause and endorsed the case for floor consideration.
The impeachment complaint includes allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
During the hearings, lawmakers examined AMLC records that allegedly showed P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, from 2006 to 2025.
The records reportedly included 630 covered transactions and 33 suspicious transactions, with total inflows reaching around P4.42 billion and outflows exceeding P1.55 billion. Another P791 million was classified as undetermined.
Questions were also raised over Duterte’s SALNs, which allegedly reflected a significantly lower declared net worth compared to the amounts flagged in AMLC reports.
The hearings also highlighted claims that some SALNs submitted since 2019 reflected zero cash on hand and zero cash in banks despite billions of pesos in reported transactions.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s camp disputed part of the AMLC findings, with lawyer Peter Paul Danao saying that a previously reported P2-billion bank entry was actually P2 million and allegedly resulted from a Bank of the Philippine Islands system glitch.
Luistro clarified that the House panel’s role was only to determine probable cause and not Duterte’s guilt or innocence.
She stressed that the Vice President would still have the opportunity to challenge the allegations and present evidence before the Senate impeachment court if the case proceeds to trial.
However, Luistro warned that if the defense fails to actively present evidence, the prosecution’s case could remain largely unrebutted before senator-judges.