The latest allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte did not come from the witness stand. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who was dropped as a prosecution witness in the Senate impeachment trial, made them at a press conference. The Vice President’s camp has rejected them outright. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., asked about them abroad, said the first step is to establish whether they are true.
Here is what is actually on the record, and what is not.
The Claims
According to the Philippine Star, Trillanes claimed on October 2 that around ₱319 million in funds from Chinese government and corporate sources went into businesses and a foundation linked to the Duterte family. He alleged that money went into Cale88 Foods Corp., which he linked to the Vice President’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio. He claimed another ₱150 million went to the Tapang at Malasakit Foundation, where Duterte was identified as a member of the board of trustees.
The Star noted that Trillanes could not present the alleged payments before the impeachment court because he had been dropped as a prosecution witness. Inquirer.net, reporting Marcos’ remarks, added that “wrongdoing has not been established.”
Separately, dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. has made allegations about cash deliveries. Duterte has denied them, according to GMA News and the Philippine Star.
The Vice President’s Answer
Duterte’s spokesman, Paolo Panelo, responded sharply. He said Trillanes “has been peddling the same exhausted lies regarding extrajudicial killings (EJKs), fabricated drug links, imaginary unexplained wealth, baseless corruption allegations and fictional China connections against the Duterte family.”
Panelo argued that choosing a press conference over testimony under oath said a lot. “Instead of defending his claims under oath, he chose the comfort of a safe and scripted press conference where his lies could once again go unchallenged,” he said, according to the Star. He called the move “absolute proof that his claims cannot survive real legal scrutiny.”
The spokesman also pointed to Trillanes’ record with past witnesses. He cited Peter Joemel Advincula, alias “Bikoy,” who Panelo said confessed to being part of a destabilization plot, and the late lawyer Jude Sabio, who Panelo said withdrew his communication to the ICC.
Panelo said the Vice President “would gladly sue him for these endless fabrications” and would let the evidence speak for itself before the impeachment court.
Duterte herself thanked the public “for seeing through Trillanes’ latest media stunt,” which she described as part of a “well-funded plot to politically destroy her.”
What Marcos Said
Speaking at a Kapihan interview in Singapore on October 11, Marcos called the allegation of Chinese money “the most disturbing aspect” and said it would rise to a national security issue. Inquirer.net quoted him as saying: “If it is true, it is a threat — a threat at the highest level to the Republic.”
But Marcos also stressed that nothing has been proven. “The first step in dealing with this whole situation, these allegations that are being thrown out, is let’s find the evidence and see what the truth is,” he said. He said the Department of National Defense was looking into the matter and declined to speculate.
“Nothing would make me happier than proof that it is not so,” the President added.
Marcos also rejected Duterte’s accusation that his administration was behind the attacks on her. “I have no involvement in that,” he said, and he called claims of his involvement “fake news.”
What the Impeachment Court Has Done
The allegations surfaced while the impeachment court was hearing Article II, the charge of alleged unexplained wealth. The Star reported that the court had ordered banks, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and others to produce financial records involving Duterte, her husband and related companies.
House prosecutors said at the time that they hoped to take up Trillanes’ claims when their financial witnesses testified. On October 12, the prosecution announced it would rest its case with expert witness Alexander Cabrera as its final witness. Nothing reported so far shows the court received the alleged Chinese payments as evidence.
Why It Matters
The timing also matters. The claims landed in the middle of the trial, just as the court was hearing evidence on her finances.
Foreign-influence claims are serious, and the President has said so himself. But the standard he set, evidence first, is the same one the Vice President’s camp is demanding. So far, the claims of Chinese money have been made at press conferences, not proven under oath in court.
For voters, the questions to keep asking are simple. What documents exist? Has anyone tested them in a proper proceeding? And will the government’s own inquiry, through the DND, produce findings that can be checked? Until then, the claims remain unproven, and the Vice President is entitled to the same presumption any citizen gets: that accusations must be proven, not just repeated.
Sources
- https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/04/2560797/vp-trillanes-claims-same-exhausted-lies (checked Oct 12, 2026)
- https://globalnation.inquirer.net/341543/break-marcos-china-linked-funds-tied-to-vp-duterte-threat-at-highest-level-if-true (checked Oct 12, 2026)
- https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/12/2562542/prosecutors-rest-impeachment-case-vs-vp-sara (checked Oct 12, 2026)
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1004889/sara-duterte-denies-gracioso-claims-to-submit-affidavit-on-thursday/story/ (checked via search Oct 12, 2026)
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