Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said that confidentiality is not absolute under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Buenaventura made the remark during the interjection of Senator-judge Robin Padilla who asked if it was accurate to say that confidentiality is absolute when referring to the AMLC records.
‘Linawin ko lang din po kasi, kami naman sa AMLC sa Section 8, paragraph 2 may provision din po doon na we’re authorized to formulate rules,’ Buenaventura said.
(Let me just clarify, we at the AMLC, in Section 8, paragraph 2 [of AMLA], also have a provision there that we’re authorized to formulate rules.)
‘Yung mga mandato po namin, magfafile po kami ng mga kaso… we need to show to the court na merong probable cause o may proof beyond reasonable doubt, and we can only do that kung yung information na nakuha namin ay idi-disclose namin sa court. Kaya hindi ko masabi na absolute.’
(Our mandates include, we file cases… we need to show to the court that there is probable cause or proof beyond reasonable doubt, and we can only do that if the information we have obtained is disclosed to the court. So I can’t say that it is absolute.)
Buenaventura likewise asserted that his presence before the impeachment court is not putting pressure on him.
‘Hindi po ba kayo naiipit dito?’ Padilla asked.
(Aren’t you pressured here?)
‘Hindi po. Ako ay sumunod sa subpoena na ini-ssue ng honorable court… Kahapon nagkaroon ng matinding diskusyon at nagkaroon din ng ruling ang presiding officer, inallow naman po niya so I leave it to the honorable court that I was testifying here pursuant to that authority.’
(‘No. I complied with the subpoena issued by the honorable court… Yesterday there was a heated discussion and the presiding officer also made a ruling, he allowed it so I leave it to the honorable court that I was testifying here pursuant to that authority.’)