MANILA — The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday, Oct. 5, rejected allegations that Beijing had channeled money to a Philippine political faction, calling them a “false narrative.” The same day, an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) official told the Senate impeachment court that a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband received about P319.3 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.
The statement from embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng named no one. It followed allegations former senator Antonio Trillanes IV made at an Oct. 2 press conference.
“We strongly condemn and firmly oppose such malicious rhetoric and actions. We urge the relevant individuals in the Philippines to stop political manipulation and not to drag Philippine domestic politics into China-Philippines relations,” Ji said.
“Attempts to achieve personal political gains by smearing and discrediting China and harming China’s interests and image are doomed to fail, and will ultimately undermine the interests of the Philippines and its people,” he added.
The statement also said the embassy’s website had been “maliciously linked as a redirect destination,” without explaining what that meant, and said the embassy would take all necessary measures to protect its interests and dignity. As of 10:40 a.m. on Oct. 6, the statement was not posted on the spokesperson’s page of the embassy’s English-language website.
The Allegations
Trillanes alleged that more than P319 million from Chinese entities and corporations went to Cale88 Foods Corp., a banana chip exporter linked to lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, the Vice President’s husband. He also alleged that P150 million from the Chinese Embassy went to the Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines Inc., a Davao City nonprofit that Duterte lists as an organization she helped incorporate.
“This is China’s way of supporting the Duterte couple. This is clear,” Trillanes said, according to The Manila Times.
He spoke a day after House prosecutors dropped him as a witness at his own request. Court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said press conference statements are not evidence in the trial. An SEC official earlier testified that Carpio held a stake in Cale88 from 2021 to 2024, reaching 47.5 percent before his name dropped from the 2025 records.
The school donation was public at the time. On Oct. 5, 2018, then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and then-Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua broke ground at Agdao Elementary School for 13 China-funded school buildings, and Zhao called the gift an appreciation of then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s China policy, a 2018 report said.
What the AMLC Witness Said
On Day 33 of the trial, AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified that inward remittances to Cale88 totaled P319,326,770.41 in the agency’s tabular summary. About P315.93 million came from mainland China and P3.39 million from Hong Kong, GMA News reported. The records consisted of 141 covered transaction reports and three suspicious transaction reports, according to the Inquirer.
Buenaventura confirmed that the suspicious transaction reports cited the absence of an “underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification.” The Manila Times reported that the records did not specifically identify the source of the funds and listed a firm, Yiwu Yunnong Import and Export, as the closest counterparty.
Asked whether the records showed an intent to hide the source of the funds, Buenaventura said he could not say. “I am unable to answer, Your Honor. I was only given the portion, and even then, it’s difficult to ascertain at this point because it’s just numbers,” he said. He also declined to give an opinion on whether the transactions pointed to money laundering.
Denials and Reactions
Duterte’s camp has called Trillanes’ claims “malicious and fabricated.” “This sudden retreat is absolute proof that his claims cannot survive real legal scrutiny, and are nothing but black propaganda, which is par for the course for a professional character assassin,” said her spokesperson, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., referring to Trillanes’ exit from the witness list.
Panelo also denied that China funds the Vice President. “She’s not running away from any case,” he told The Philippine Star.
Teodoro said the allegations, “if substantiated, raise serious implications for national security,” and urged Trillanes to hand any evidence to law enforcement “so the matter can be thoroughly investigated.”
Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration would avoid premature judgment, but that receiving money from the Chinese government would be an “act of betrayal” if proven, The Manila Times reported.
We found no statement from Carpio, Cale88 or the Tapang at Malasakit foundation as of publication.
Why It Matters
Claims of foreign money reaching a sitting vice president touch on national security and the West Philippine Sea dispute. The AMLC testimony confirmed that bank reports recorded the remittances. It did not establish who ultimately sent the money, why, or whether any law was broken. Those questions now rest with the impeachment court and any agency that takes up Teodoro’s call to investigate.
What to Watch
- Whether Trillanes gives his documents to law enforcement or is subpoenaed.
- Any defense evidence on Cale88’s trade with its Chinese counterparty.
- What “necessary measures” the embassy takes.
- A verdict could come as early as Dec. 16, Tongol has said.
