FIRING LINE: Follow the money

FIRING LINE: Follow the money

By Robert B. Roque Jr. l October 6, 2026

Former Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV is not the most likeable man in Philippine politics. But when he says Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio owes the country an honest accounting of her wealth, backed by receipts, he is simply invoking what the Constitution demands. Whether or not we like the messenger should not taint the message.

This week, the Senate impeachment court will stop trading adjectives and start opening ledgers. Under Article II, covering alleged unexplained wealth, false SALNs, and continued business interests, prosecutors will call AMLC chief Ronel Buenaventura and officials from the BIR, banks, and insurers to testify through October 9.

The numbers on the table are staggering: ₱6.77 billion in cumulative transactions across two decades in accounts tied to VP Sara and her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio, including ₱4.4 billion in inflows.

Trillanes alleges there are more: checks from suspected drug lord Sammy Uy, Chinese-linked remittances to Cale88 Food Corp. and the Tapang at Malasakit Foundation, and undeclared time deposits in 2007 and 2008.

Much of this, as bared by Trillanes in his press conference last week, carries no evidentiary weight in the trial. And we’re not saying he’s got solid proof, since the defense calls these claims “malicious fabrications” and “black propaganda.” 

That is precisely why bank and tax records matter. Scrutiny of them should prove whether the money that moved matches the wealth she declared, nothing more, nothing less. AMLC already confirmed 18 of 18 sampled transactions matched its files. If the paper trail is clean, it clears her. If it isn’t, no title can launder it.

Inday Sara may be the second-highest official in the land, but that does not make her immune from answering to the public. As long as public office is a public trust, transparency and accountability must follow. She should allow the documents to be made public and, if warranted, let them speak in open court.

Warning on school events

Two children are dead, and two injured after a fun run at Cauayan South Central School in Isabela turned deadly last weekend. Initial findings point to a short circuit or grounding fault in a bubble-filled area. The investigation is ongoing, and no one should presume the cause or the culprit before the results are in.

But what’s disturbing is that a similar tragedy already happened in Iloilo last June. That should have been warning enough. Schools, local governments, and organizers must treat water, foam, and live current as the lethal combination they are: require electrical inspections, certified safety clearances, and trained personnel before any such event.

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