Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Civil Security Group said Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa has yet to surrender 91 firearms registered under his name after his gun licenses and registrations were revoked.

‘From 117, they have turned in 26, so we still have 91. We are continuing our coordination with his legal officer,’ PNP CSG Director Maj. Gen. Aden Lagradante said in a press briefing on Monday.

The PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO) has revoked dela Rosa’s firearms licenses and registrations, with the order dated May 26 and signed by FEO chief Brig. Gen. Jose Manalad Jr.

The PNP-FEO previously said that dela Rosa held a Type 5 License to Own and Possess Firearms, which was originally valid until March 10, 2034, with 117 assorted firearms registered in his name.

‘Under our rules, they should be surrendered, but the latest information is that the remaining firearms are still being accounted for,’ Lagradante said.

Lagradante added that dela Rosa’s camp had sought reconsideration of the revocation through a letter to the PNP-FEO.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the senator over his alleged involvement in the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte, both during Duterte’s time as Davao City mayor and later as president.

The tribunal, which has Duterte in its custody in The Hague, Netherlands, has named dela Rosa as a ‘co-perpetrator.’

Local supporters of the anti-political dynasty law through a People’s Initiative (PI) have called on people in Northern Mindanao to sign the online campaign.

Representatives from the Church, academe, civil society, youth and student organizations, and professionals launched the Dapat Isa Lang (D1L) Movement at Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan) here last week.

D1L has launched a nationwide campaign to pass an anti-political dynasty law through PI, which bypasses Congress, the body that makes and enacts laws, and is mostly dominated by the same families the movement seeks to remove from holding perpetual public office.

The initiative aims to enact a genuine anti-political dynasty law-a constitutional mandate that lawmakers have largely ignored for nearly 40 years.

‘We will be offering a genuine anti-political dynasty law through this people’s initiative because we need to bypass Congress, as this law is not attractive to them,’ Nestor Banuag Jr., director of Xavier University’s Social Involvement and Advocacy Program, told the Inquirer.

7.5 million signatures

The proposed D1L measure seeks to limit political families to one national and one local elected post, ban relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity from holding simultaneous offices, prohibit position-switching, and enforce a one-term cooling-off period. It also empowers voters and the Commission on Elections to file disqualification or quo warranto cases against violators.

To enact the law via a People’s Initiative, the movement needs to gather signatures from at least 10% of total registered voters nationwide, or at least 7.5 million, including 3% from every legislative district.

Organizers set up an online platform (https://d1l.org/) where registered voters can sign the petition until Jan. 31, 2027.

John Phillip Talaba, a former Xavier University Central Student Government president and a member of the D1L core team here, said the campaign requires participation beyond the movement’s organizers.

He called for volunteers to help meet the target, particularly in communities where the campaign has yet to establish a network.

‘The longer we drag this out, the more time opposition forces have to consolidate power against us,’ Talaba told the Inquirer. ‘This effort is heavily driven by the youth, because we truly want to take back control over our lives.’

A moral and ethical concern

The country’s Catholic bishops strongly supported the movement, stressing that the concentration of power is a moral and ethical issue that harms the common good.

‘Public office must never become a family inheritance; it is a public trust entrusted by the people to serve all,’ the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) stated. ‘When public authority is treated as private privilege, the common good suffers.’

Clarence Raul Florendo, Social Action Center lay coordinator of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, said Archbishop Jose Cabantan has enjoined all parishes under the archdiocese to support the initiative.

‘There is always the lure of corruption because they know the next administration will not hold them accountable because of the relations,’ Florendo told the Inquirer.

Organizers here are working to secure support from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines for the anti-dynasty law’s passage through PI.

Anatomy of dynasties

The prevalence of political dynasties has been widely blamed for trapping the country in a cycle of poverty and patronage.

Political economist Ronald Mendoza, former dean of the Ateneo School of Government, classified Philippine dynasties as ‘thin’ (sequential succession) and ‘fat’ (simultaneous occupation of multiple posts).

According to his research, 83% of the country’s senators and about 80% of House district representatives belong to political families, while locally, 87% of provincial governors and 75% of city mayors are part of dynasties.

He also noted that 90% of Filipinos live in an area controlled by a political dynasty, with ‘fat’ dynasties severely prevalent in the country’s poorest provinces.

The Iligan City Traffic and Parking Management Office (ICTPMO) has advised drivers of vehicles coming from Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental provinces who have no business in the city proper to use the C3 Road, particularly those driving light vehicles and medium-sized trucks.

The advisory aims to ease traffic congestion caused by the ongoing repair of the Tambacan Bridge by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The DPWH has installed billboards and road signs at entry points near the National Steel Corporation in Barangay Suarez, the national highway in Barangay Buruun, Tambo Terminal and Barangay Del Carmen to guide motorists to the C3 Road.

A checkpoint has also been established in Barangay Buruun in coordination with the Philippine National Police and traffic enforcers.

Large trailer trucks are prohibited from using the C3 Road because of safety concerns, particularly on the steep sections of the route.

The traffic light near The Pantry Restaurant in Barangay Tipanoy along the C3 Road has been temporarily turned off during peak hours, with traffic enforcers manually directing vehicles to prevent heavy traffic.

The ICTPMO urged motorists and the public to cooperate with authorities and observe traffic rules to help ensure the smooth flow of vehicles during the bridge repair.

Agusan del Sur is mobilizing calamity funds and preparing longer-term measures as a severe El Niño has damaged more than a third of the province’s agricultural crops and cut water levels in critical watersheds by nearly a third.

The provincial government, municipal officials and civil society groups met Oct. 1 for a two-day El Niño Response Planning Workshop at the Provincial Learning Center in Patin-ay to draw up measures for agriculture, water supply, public health and power stability.

The effort comes after the province was placed under a state of calamity through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 585-26, based on assessments by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

Prolonged dry spells have damaged or compromised 36.4% of the province’s agricultural commodities, while water reserves in critical watersheds have fallen by an average of 31.4%, according to disaster management assessments.

Nearly all municipalities are now grappling with shortages of potable water.

Securing food and water

With reduced river runoff threatening farm production, provincial agricultural officials are looking at alternative sources of irrigation.

Corazon Escasinas, an agriculturist II at the Provincial Agriculture Office, said the province was monitoring irrigated farms and considering solar-powered water pumps and water impounding projects.

‘One of our response actions for the strong El Niño is to coordinate and monitor irrigated agricultural areas and propose solar-powered water pumps and water impounding projects,’ Escasinas said.

Health officials also warned of a possible rise in waterborne and vector-borne diseases as prolonged shortages force families to use unsafe water sources or store water at home.

Funds, plans through 2027

Provincial planners are considering the use of the local Quick Response Fund (QRF) and additional municipal allocations to finance immediate relief and infrastructure needs.

Contingency plans are also being drawn up through 2027 in case climate anomalies persist and further deplete groundwater reserves.

Rex Linao, executive director of the Foundation for the Development of Agusanons Inc. (FDAI), said nongovernment organizations and community groups would be crucial in identifying communities at risk.

‘We need to capacitate stakeholders and CSOs so they can contribute to addressing the issues and effects of El Niño. This will help us become more proactive,’ Linao said.

‘We already have an action and response plan that can address the issues by sector at the municipal level, and we can also identify where the funding can come from,’ he added.

Several Mindanao towns differed on whether to suspend or hold classes for World Teachers’ Day on Monday.

In Talakag, Bukidnon, Mayor Renato Sulatan stood firm in his decision to suspend classes in the municipality for World Teachers’ Day on Monday, making it the only municipality in the province to do so.On his personal social media page, the mayor stated that the break gives students, teachers, and school personnel time to rest, recharge, and celebrate.

Sumo-oy clarified that while a DepEd memorandum maintains regular classes at all levels, local chief executives ‘hold the executive prerogative to declare suspensions.’ He added that the lost school day in Talakag will be replenished during a make-up class scheduled in December at the end of the term block.

But in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo did not suspend classes for World Teachers’ Day.

Paredes-Bravo also cited RA 10743, noting that Section 1 explicitly classifies the observance as a ‘special working holiday’.

‘This is a national law that cannot be cancelled or overridden by an Executive Order,’ Paredes-Bravo stated in Cebuano. ‘The local government, through the mayor, cannot declare a holiday-whether working or non-working-for the celebration.’

The mayor also cited Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Opinion No. 127, Series of 2022, which affirms that the legal power to declare holidays-working or non-working-is exclusively vested in the President of the Philippines and the Congress of the Philippines. The opinion notes that neither the Local Government Code of 1991 nor other statutes grant local governments the power to declare holidays.

Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur Mayor Frederick Mellana also underscored the same principle, reminding the public that ‘only Congress and the Office of the President can declare holidays.’

The Department of Education (DepEd) is preparing to vaccinate about 4.6 million learners under its school-based immunization program for School Year 2026-2027, covering measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

According to Jhpiego Philippines, a global health nonprofit affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, the Bakuna Eskwela program aims to vaccinate about 3.6 million Grade 1 and Grade 7 learners against measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria, and nearly 1 million Grade 4 girls against HPV.

DepEd’s Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division (BLSS-SHD) recently held a two-day hybrid planning workshop in Quezon City with physicians, nurses and dentists from selected regional and school division offices ahead of the campaign.

The planned rollout covers Grade 1 learners aged 6 to 7 and Grade 7 boys and girls aged 12 to 13 for measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria vaccination, as well as Grade 4 girls aged 9 to 10 for HPV vaccination.

DepEd has been implementing school-based immunization with the Department of Health (DOH) since 2017 to protect school-age children and adolescents against vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria.

HPV vaccination is intended to protect preadolescent girls from HPV infection and reduce their future risk of cervical cancer.

Vaccination gaps

During the workshop, health personnel reviewed measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria and HPV vaccination coverage and school participation across provincial, component city, highly urbanized city and independent component city schools division offices.

Jhpiego Philippines said the workshop participants also examined behavioral and social factors affecting routine and HPV vaccination and worked on short-, medium- and long-term plans to address operational and logistical bottlenecks, administrative barriers, misinformation, access to immunization services, hard-to-reach and underserved areas, and parental support and confidence in vaccines.

Participants also discussed lessons from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded HPV Vaccination Acceleration Program Partners Initiative (HAPPI) and findings from behavioral and social drivers surveys and interviews on HPV vaccination supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Enhancing Global Health Security project and implemented by Jhpiego Philippines.

Dr. Lilibeth Gonzales, officer-in-charge-chief and supervising health program officer of the DepEd School Health Division, said the workshop was intended to turn the data into concrete measures at the regional, division and school levels.

‘The success of school-based immunization depends on how well we translate data and plans into coordinated action at the regional, division and school levels. This workshop allows us to identify gaps early, strengthen coordination with our health partners and develop practical strategies to ensure that more learners can access the vaccines they need,’ Gonzales said.

Meanwhile, Jhpiego Philippines Country Program Manager Dr. Ingrid Magnata said vaccination efforts also require stronger systems and coordination among education, health and communities.

‘Protecting children and adolescents through vaccination requires more than delivering vaccines. It requires strong systems, informed communities and coordinated action across sectors. By bringing together data, behavioral insights and the experience of education and health teams, we can develop approaches that are more responsive to the realities faced by learners, parents and schools,’ Magnata said.

Dr. Anthony Calibo, immunization technical adviser of Jhpiego Philippines, also said combining vaccination data with behavioral and operational information could help identify practical responses to gaps.

‘The value of this planning process is in helping teams move from simply knowing their coverage numbers to understanding what those numbers mean and what can be done about them,’ Calibo said.

‘By combining vaccination data with behavioral insights and operational experience, regions and divisions can identify practical solutions to improve access, participation and vaccine confidence,’ he added.

The workshop ended with participating DepEd regional and schools division offices reaffirming their commitment to strengthen schools as healthy settings and platforms for preventive health services, consistent with the principles of the Universal Health Care Law. The 2026 preparations build on the continuing DepEd-DOH effort to improve school-based vaccination and reach eligible learners with essential vaccines. Current DepEd guidance covers measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria vaccination for Grade 1 and Grade 7 students and HPV vaccination for Grade 4 female students.

House prosecutors will drop the bribery charge against Vice President Sara Duterte, ending weeks of deliberations as they seek to shorten her impeachment trial and focus on evidence they believe is sufficient to secure her conviction on other allegations.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua said on Sunday the team would formally inform the Senate impeachment court on Monday of its decision to abandon Article 3 of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of bribing Department of Education (DepEd) officials to circumvent procurement rules during her tenure as education secretary.

‘We believe that the evidence presented is already sufficient,’ Chua said, denying that the decision stemmed from weaknesses in the bribery case.

In a statement later in the day, lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro said: ‘Our responsibility remains clear: to follow the evidence and bring a focused, well-supported case to its conclusion. That responsibility guides every decision we make.’

The trial, which began on July 6, enters its 14th week as prosecutors race to complete their presentation amid delays and the Senate’s legislative obligations.

The prosecution expressed confidence in its remaining allegations: Duterte’s alleged threats against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez; misuse of millions of pesos in confidential funds; and unexplained wealth.

‘As far as the prosecution panel is concerned, the prosecution has already established the facts needed for conviction,’ Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, a prosecution spokesperson, told the Inquirer.

Cash envelopes

The decision followed weeks of discussions that began in September, after prosecutors completed presenting evidence on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and DepEd.

The bribery charge relied on testimony from former DepEd officials who said they received cash envelopes through Duterte’s subordinates.

Former DepEd procurement chief Gloria Jumamil-Mercado testified during a 2024 House inquiry that she received monthly envelopes containing P50,000 for nine months. Former bidding committee chair Resty Osias recalled receiving P12,000 to P15,000 from April to September 2023.

Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, who headed the team assigned to present the charge, said the witnesses were prepared to testify that the money came from people under Duterte’s supervision and that they had been told it came from the Vice President.

‘These are people who actually received money. They [would have] testified that it came from the person being charged in this particular case,’ Flores told the Inquirer. ‘What was the reason they were given cash?’

Flores said the charge was among the easiest to prove, but prosecutors agreed to streamline the trial because of ‘unforeseen events and delays.’

Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, a prosecution adviser, said he initially opposed dropping the charge, especially because surveys indicated that many Filipinos considered bribery the most serious allegation against Duterte.

‘Although now, I realize that to abbreviate the proceedings, there’s logic to dropping it,’ he said, adding that the remaining case was ‘strong enough already’ to secure a conviction.

Prosecutors aim to finish presenting their evidence by mid-October, according to panel spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr.

‘Shortchanging Filipinos’

Malacañang warned that dropping the bribery charge could deprive the public of a fuller accounting of the allegations against Duterte.

‘If they withdraw the bribery allegation against the Vice President, wouldn’t that shortchange or disadvantage Filipinos who want to know the whole truth about this?’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said.

Castro said the Palace respected the prosecution’s discretion but questioned why it would abandon a charge included in the articles of impeachment.

‘But they included it in the articles of impeachment, which means they have sufficient evidence to discuss this bribery issue in the impeachment court,’ she said.

Ultimately, Castro added, ‘It is up to the prosecution to decide’ whether dropping the charge was the right strategy.

Tactical advantage

The move raises questions about whether abandoning a serious allegation could affect public confidence in the case. Prosecutors insist they want to focus on the remaining charges rather than prolong proceedings with additional witnesses.

University of Makati public administration professor Ederson Tapia said streamlining the case could offer a tactical advantage if prosecutors were confident in the evidence presented. However, they would need to explain why the bribery allegation was included in the first place if they no longer intended to pursue it.

‘The people may ask why a serious allegation was included in the first place if it will ultimately not be pursued,’ he said.

‘At some point, more witnesses and more allegations do not necessarily make a case stronger,’ Tapia added, saying a tighter presentation could clarify the issues for the Senate and the public.

Financial records

The coming week is expected to be crucial to the prosecution’s remaining case, particularly the allegation that Duterte accumulated wealth not adequately reflected in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) official was expected to testify on Monday, followed by representatives from banks, insurance companies and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

‘These witnesses or personalities are very important in providing clarity to the unexplained wealth allegation,’ Gatchalian said in a radio interview on Sunday.

He said the witnesses could authenticate financial documents held by their institutions and explain their contents based on direct knowledge.

The AMLC witness’ appearance was postponed after the defense sought more time to address concerns involving the Anti-Money Laundering Act and financial confidentiality.

The Supreme Court, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and my column last week agreed that political dynasties should be reformed. However, while the Court and the CBCP likewise agreed with the Constitution that political dynasties should be prohibited, I maintain, with due respect to the Constitution’s framers, that they should be merely regulated, not prohibited.

TO RECALL, THE COURT UNANIMOUSLY DIRECTED CONGRESS-‘with utmost urgency’-to enact an anti-political dynasty law (Kapatiran Party v. Congress, Aug. 26, 2026, per J Ramon Paul L. Hernando, en banc). Moreover, the Court proposed-but did not require-that (1) The ban should extend to the fourth civil degree; (2) Covered relatives should be barred from running simultaneously and/or successively; (3) The ban should encompass local and/or national elective positions; and (4) The ban should apply within the same administrative region.

On the other hand, the CBCP, in its Sept. 25 Pastoral Statement, stressed that: (1) The concentration of dynastic power stifles competition and accountability; (2) Public office is a public trust that must remain accessible to all competent Filipinos; and (3) The laity should courageously ask difficult questions about dynastic rule.

As for me, the dynastic prohibition up to the fourth civil degree is contrary to human nature. It is natural for parents to want their children to succeed them in their work, profession, wealth, or business. To attain this succession in public offices, systemic solutions are needed. Let me offer three.

The first is voter education. Even if likened to a perfectly engineered car, our democratic machinery will inevitably crash if entrusted to the hands of an untrained or careless driver. Thus, voters must be properly trained to choose competent leaders of integrity. In fact, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting-organized in 1991 by Ambassador Tita de Villa-deserves the continuing support of the CBCP. I believe a new wheel need not be invented, as the lay faithful already have an existing cart to steer the electorate away from the toxic culture of the three Ps-payoff, personality, and patronage and the three Gs-guns, goons, and gold.

My second suggestion is to encourage competent and honest men and women to run for public office to give the educated voters fair choices. As such, the dynasts need not be prohibited from joining the election given that the electorate is already equipped to choose the best regardless of patrimonial roots.

OUR POLITICAL HISTORY PROVES THAT PEOPLE OF COMPETENCE AND HONESTY can transcend their political lineage. The late President Cory Aquino, despite belonging to a powerful dynasty, championed the 1987 Constitution that ironically prohibits political dynasties.

Similarly, the late Sen. Jose W. Diokno-himself a son of a senator and Supreme Court justice-proved his competence and brilliance by topping both the CPA and bar exams and demonstrated unyielding integrity by resigning as justice secretary rather than compromise during the Stonehill scandal. Likewise, my guru, former Senate President Jovito R. Salonga, an intellectual of the highest order, earned the masses’ trust through his selfless and tireless advocacy for the marginalized.

My third suggestion is to strengthen our civil service to insulate the bureaucracy from political patronage. To become a part of the professional civil service, one must pass different levels of examinations, possess formal education, and undergo training. These civil service eligibles should occupy permanent appointments to positions up to the rank of undersecretaries and should be removable only for cause and after due process, unlike in the present when they are removable at the whim of the President.

By retaining their posts across changing administrations, a permanent civil service guarantees operational continuity. This explains why progressive nations like Japan and Great Britain function efficiently regardless of who is elected at the top and regardless of rapid changes of political leaders.

AT BOTTOM, THE SUPREME COURT HAS ALREADY SPOKEN WITH URGENCY, and the CBCP has wisely placed the issue before the conscience of the nation. But the task ahead is far larger than enacting a law to prohibit what is human nature. Instead, we must educate voters, encourage a pool of competent candidates of unyielding integrity, and strengthen our civil service to guarantee continuity in governance.

Truly, there is no law-no matter how perfectly defined-that cannot be violated, manipulated, or circumvented by malevolent officials. Therefore, the ultimate solution does not lie merely in passing legislation or dismantling a political system, but rather, in metanoia-a conversion of mind and character forged through education and training of the men and women who seek to hold the sacred trust of public office, and the electorate equipped to make the right choices.

Only through such transformation can we secure an inclusive democracy steadfastly navigated by officials selected by the informed choice of the people for their truthfulness, fairness, integrity, and competence.

Agriculture officials in Quezon province have strengthened coordination to prepare for El Niño and ensure continued support for farmers and fisherfolk.

The Quezon chapter of the League of Municipal Agriculture Officers, Municipal and City Agriculturists of the Philippines, Inc. (LEMMCAP) met in Lucena on Oct. 1 and 2 to tackle potential projects and interventions to help mitigate the effects of El Niño, the provincial government’s Public Information Office (PIO) reported.

The phenomenon is now affecting 14 of the country’s 18 regions, with the agriculture sector sustaining an estimated P6.87 billion in damage, according to a DA report in late September.

Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Liza Mariano assured local governments that the provincial government would remain a committed partner in implementing programs to promote the welfare of farmers and fisherfolk and help them cope with the effects of the weather phenomenon.

Participants also discussed upcoming activities of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), concerns and issues raised by LGUs, and possible solutions.

‘Through collective planning and cooperation, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and LEMMCAP Quezon chapter continue to promote a more proactive and coordinated response to the needs of the province’s agriculture and fisheries sectors,’ the PIO said.

A representative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) central office joined the meeting via Zoom and provided updates on national government programs and projects designed to mitigate El Niño’s effects.

El Niño is expected to increase the risk of prolonged dry conditions, reduced water availability, and extreme heat in parts of the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the phenomenon began affecting the country in June and is expected to intensify toward the end of the year. Its latest forecast indicates that El Niño could persist until the first half of 2027.

A tabular summary of Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reports presented on Monday at Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial showed 666 covered transaction reports (CTRs) and 55 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, totaling P4.4 billion.

The document was presented before the court as AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura took the witness stand on the 33rd day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Covered transactions refer to bank deposits of over P500,000 made within a single day, which banks automatically report to the AMLC.

Suspicious transactions, meanwhile, are those flagged by banks because of red flags or doubts about their legitimacy, including possible links to unlawful sources, regardless of the amount.

Of the 666 CTRs, 373 involved Duterte while 363 involved Carpio, with 70 reports appearing in both extracts and thus deducted from the combined total.

For the 55 STRs, 34 involved Duterte and 30 involved Carpio, with nine appearing in both extracts. The table also showed combined inflows of P1.63 billion and outflows of P1.31 billion, while P1.46 billion was classified as undetermined as to whether it was an inflow or outflow.

When Buenaventura first sat as a resource person at the clarificatory hearings of the House Committee on Justice on April 22, Buenaventura said banks flagged 33 suspicious transactions and 630 covered dealings worth P6.77 billion.

However, during the offer of testimony at the impeachment court this Monday, prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia said a bank corrected its own error bringing the total to P4.4 billion in aggregate transactions.

Although she emphasized, ‘The AMLC reported P6.77 billion to the House in April 2026. Despite BPI’s correction regarding an alleged error in its own system, P4.4 billion in suspicious transactions still remains.’

Asked later by Divinagracia to explain further the difference, Buenaventura clarified that the initial coverage of the summary presented before the House was for years 2006 to 2025 and only covered reports from banks.

For the proceedings before the Senate, however, the summary covers 2007 to 2025 and includes all covered persons, not merely banks.

‘Then I would just like to note that there was a request for correction from a covered person regarding 13 CTRs. We conducted a validation in relation to that, so when we submitted the report to this Honorable Court on July 13, we had already corrected those entries,’ he explained.

This was later reflected in Table 1 of the summary presented on Monday which Buenaventura confirmed before the court he helped make.

‘Based also on this summary, how many CTRs that pertain to Vice President Sara Duterte are in AMLC’s records?’ Divinagracia asked.

‘Based only on this summary, it’s 373, your honor,’ Buenaventura answered.

Asked how many involved Carpio, Buenaventura said 363.

As for the STRs, he reiterated that the total was at 55 for the couple.

Meanwhile, asked again how much the corrected total was, Buenaventura said ‘So the total amount, the combined total as indicated here, Your Honor, is 4,400,089,940.70.’

‘This is all CTRs and STRs involving Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and Attorney Manases R. Carpio, 2007 to 2025, Your Honor,’ he added.