A congressman from Vice President Sara Duterte’s own bailiwick of Mindanao is giving weight to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report to the House Committee on Justice, which many believe is on the cusp of declaring the presence of probable cause in the lady official's impeachment case.

Butuan City lone district Rep. Jose “Joboy” Aquino II said the AMLC revelations raised raises serious and legitimate questions that the 2028 presidential aspirant from Davao City must answer.

“This is not ordinary information. This is testimony from the country’s financial intelligence unit, placed on record in a constitutional proceeding,” Aquino said.

During the justice committee’s hearing to determine probable cause in the two existing impeachment complaints against Duterte, the AMLC confirmed that the respondent was identified as a “subject of suspicion” in 27 confidential reports filed between August 2, 2024 and January 29, 2026. The suspected activities involved drug trafficking and related offenses, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds and property.

Separate AMLC records presented to the justice panel showed that her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, was the subject of suspicion in 17 confidential reports spanning Sept. 14, 2017 to April 25, 2025, likewise involving serious financial and criminal red flags.

“When the Vice President of the Republic and her husband are flagged in multiple confidential reports involving alleged drug-related activities, corruption, and possible misuse of public funds, that raises grave questions that cannot be ignored,” noted Aquino.

During the lastest impeachment hearing on April 22, it was learned that Vice President Duterte and her husband's bank accounts were been flagged by the AMLC for P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions over two decades since 2005.

While the AMLC was unable to provide conclusions on Duterte and her husband's transactions, it confirmed that 18 of the Vice President's transactions from 2008 to 2015 matched the records presented by former senator Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV.

Trillanes, a critic of the Dutertes, has long been blowing his whistle on the alleged dubious bank transactions and unexplained wealth of the former first family.

Aquino emphasized that while such testimony does not, by itself, establish guilt, it forms part of a body of evidence that must be examined rigorously and without hesitation.

“These disclosures do not conclude the case. But they are too serious to dismiss, too substantial to downplay, and too consequential to ignore. The Committee has a duty to confront this evidence head-on,” Aquino said.

The Butuan lawmaker underscored that public accountability demands transparency, especially from the highest officials of the land.

“Public office carries with it the obligation to explain, especially when serious allegations supported by official testimony arise. The Filipino people deserve clear answers,” he said.

The justice panel will vote on the question of probable cause in its upcoming hearing on April 29.