MANILA, Philippines — Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña on Tuesday revealed that the reported joint bank account of Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte remains active, following his own attempt to deposit funds into it.
The confirmation came ahead of the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President, set for Wednesday, April 22, before the House justice committee.
Cendaña said the continued activity of the account raises new concerns about possible additional undisclosed joint accounts and the total amount of money involved.
He questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the accounts, asking in Filipino: “If there is nothing to hide, why prevent access to bank records? Is there something unusually large or questionable there?” He added that clean records should not be resistant to scrutiny.
The lawmaker encouraged the public to observe the upcoming hearing, where financial documents, tax records, and bank transactions will be examined as part of efforts to establish probable cause over allegations of unexplained wealth.
The issue dates back to 2016, when former senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed that the Duterte father-daughter tandem held multiple joint accounts in Metro Manila banks, allegedly containing millions of pesos that were not reflected in their SALNs.
Trillanes and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Council are expected to appear before the House panel on Wednesday after being subpoenaed to provide testimony on the allegations.
ia/xf
