2 Senate panels to look into Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth
Two Senate panels have been tasked to look into the alleged unexplained wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
On Monday, upper chamber referred Senate Resolution No. 602, which was filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, to the Senate Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability – more commonly known as the blue ribbon committee – and the Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies.
The blue ribbon committee is chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, while the banks panel is headed by Sen. Francis Escudero.
Trillanes sought the Senate probe amid reports that father and daughter had combined deposits and investments worth more than P100 million at the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
READ: Trillanes asks Senate to probe ‘ill-gotten’ wealth of Duterte, Sara
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, in an interview with reporters, said Gordon’s panel would lead the probe since Trillanes had already identified in his resolution certain officials who had allegedly violated the law.
“Di ba more of accountability na ang gusto nya [Trillanes]?” Pimentel said. “Kung AMLA [Anti-Money Laundering Act] lang yan, di dapat general statement ka lang na theres a systematic failure of reporting… Ito pinangalanan nya yung dalawa. That means meron kang akusasyon.”
[It’s accountability that he wants, right? If it’s only about AMLA, then should there be just a general statement, that there a systematic failure of reporting. In this case, he named two peope. That means there’s an accusation.]
In the resolution, Trillanes specifically asked Escudero’s committee to probe possible violations of AMLA by no less than Duterte and his daughter.
The Senate leader assured that Gordon would not sit down on Trillanes’s measure. /atm
