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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Balyena level': Ridon ends 'fishing expedition' chatter on impeachment with clever retort

'Balyena level': Ridon ends 'fishing expedition' chatter on impeachment with clever retort

Published May 2, 2026 07:08 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Terry Ridon defended the House justice panel's impeachment hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte, as he cited an AMLC report that flagged nearly P6.8 billion in bank transactions involving Duterte and her husband.
  • He stressed that the financial trail—comprising inflows, outflows, and undeclared balances—was backed by official records and testimony, dismissing claims that the complaints were speculative or defective.
  • The justice committee declared probable cause in the impeachment case on April 29 and is set to endorse its report to the plenary on May 4.
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Facebook)
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Facebook)


How can it be a fishing expedition if a "whale" was caught and not fish?
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon gave this clever response Saturday, May 2 to the critics of the House Committee on Justice's probable cause hearings on Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment case.
Supporters of the Vice President have repeatedly branded the justice panel hearings as a "fishing expedition" in an attempt to discredit it as a blind chase for evidence against impeachment respondent Duterte.
But Ridon said the committee hearings have already highlighted such evidence thanks to an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report that flagged nearly P6.8 billion worth of bank transactions from Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
“Hindi lang ho pating ang nakita natin. Balyena ho ang nakita doon sa P6.77 billion na pinag-uusapan (Not only did we see a shark. Based on the issue on the P6.77 billion, we saw a whale),” Ridon said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
The whale, specifically the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), is the largest animal known to have ever existed, surpassing even the biggest dinosaurs.
The lawyer-legislator said the figures cited in the hearings showed that the inquiry were far from speculative, as suggested by the respondent's supporters.
This includes the P6.77 billion in total bank transactions involving the Duterte couple, broken down into P4.4 billion in inflows, P1.5 billion in outflows that were not reflected in statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs), and P2.8 billion in supposed remaining balances that were also not declared.
“Hindi ho ito haka-haka. Ito ay base sa mga dokumento at record na inilatag sa pagdinig (This is not speculation. This is based on documents and records presented during the hearing),” said Ridon, a member of the justice panel and a prospective impeachment prosecutor.
Ridon also dismissed the recurring assertion of Duterte’s camp that the impeachment complaints are defective, saying the argument has been recycled throughout the proceedings without basis.
“Hindi po totoo na defective ang impeachment complaints. Isang buwan na ho nilang inuulit-ulit iyan (It is not true that the impeachment complaints are defective. They have been repeating that claim for a month now),” he said.
He stressed that the financial trail, supported by official records and sworn testimony from government agencies, forms a solid evidentiary foundation for the impeachment case, alongside allegations involving P612.5 million in allegedly misused confidential funds and supposed death threats against the country’s top officials.
The justice committee declared the presence of probable cause in Vice President Duterte's impeachment case last April 29. The panel is expected to endorse its committee report to plenary on Monday, May 4.

Related Tags

Impeachment fishing expedition Sara Duterte Terry Ridon Balyena AMLC
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