Duterte day

By Artchil B. Fernandez

The Dutertes, particularly the father-daughter tandem — former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte — were the focus of intense public attention last April 22, 2026. The date can be aptly called Duterte day.

The elder Duterte grabbed international headlines, while his daughter drew national attention. On the same day, both were subjected to intense media coverage across all platforms and public scrutiny. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber released its decision on the appeal of Rodrigo Duterte questioning the court’s jurisdiction over his case on April 22, 2026, while the House committee resumed its hearing on the impeachment case against the current vice president.

The date of the release of the ICC decision on Duterte’s appeal was set months ago. Did the House also choose the same date for one of its hearings on the impeachment case of Sara Duterte to ensure that father and daughter would get full and undivided media and public attention to capture maximum publicity for their situations? Bloody wicked!

The House justice committee hearing this week put the spotlight on the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of Sara Duterte and the report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on her and her husband’s bank transactions. Presented during the hearing were the SALNs of the vice president from 2007 to 2024. The documents reveal that her net worth increased from PHP 7,250,497.00 in 2007 to PHP 88,512,370.22 in 2024. This shows that in just 17 years, the wealth of Sara Duterte rose by 1,100 percent. Where did the vast amount of money come from? That is the question.

One interesting item that caught public attention in the SALNs of Sara Duterte is her declaration that from 2019 to 2024, she had no petty cash or bank deposits while her fortune was growing astronomically. “From 2019 to 2024, not even a single peso in cash was declared?” Manila Rep. Joel Chua incredulously inquired.

The AMLC report, on the other hand, drew interesting information on the bank transactions of the Duterte-Carpio couple. There were 630 bank dealings involving Sara Duterte and Mans Carpio, her husband, from 2005 to January 2026, according to the AMLC account. Iloilo 4th District Rep. and Deputy Speaker Ferjenel Biron asked AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura if his agency found suspicious transactions in the bank dealings of the couple. Buenaventura confirmed that there were 33 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) linked to Sara Duterte and her husband involving PHP 6.77 billion. About PHP 4.4 billion flowed into the accounts, PHP 1.5 billion was transferred out, and around PHP 791 million could not be classified as an inflow or outflow, AMLC figures disclose. How did the couple acquire such a massive amount of money? What are the sources of the money moving in and out of their accounts?

Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, in his testimony before the House panel, identified the source of the huge amount of money allegedly received by the Dutertes. He claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte and other members of the Duterte family received money from alleged drug lord Samuel “Sammy” Uy. Sara Duterte got PHP 22.32 million from him.

Based on what came out during the hearing, there is a glaring discrepancy between Sara Duterte’s SALNs and her bank transactions, including those of her husband. Her declared assets are PHP 88 million, while her bank transactions involved PHP 6.77 billion. How can she explain the yawning gap? Enormous amounts are flowing into her accounts.

It was also uncovered during the House panel hearing that Sara Duterte was listed in the General Information Sheet (GIS) of Metro City Chow Foods as a member of the board of directors from 2022 to 2025, as well as a stockholder of the company. This was confirmed by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official Gerardo Del Rosario. The Constitution prohibits this, according to Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan, citing Article VII, Section 13.

If Sara Duterte had an awful day, the elder Duterte also suffered a similar fate on the international stage. The ICC Appeals Chamber upheld the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I denying Duterte’s appeal on the basis of jurisdiction. All four grounds cited by Duterte were rejected by the Appeals Chamber. The ICC has jurisdiction over the case of Duterte. The decision implies that the ICC has authority to put Duterte on trial for crimes against humanity despite the Philippine withdrawal from the body in 2019.

The decision also put to rest the appeal of Duterte for immediate release. “Having rejected the entire appeal, the appeal chamber considers that the defense request for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Duterte is moot,” the presiding judge declared. Duterte will stay in jail in The Hague, setting the stage for his trial. There is no more legal remedy for Duterte, as the decision is final and executory.

More bad news hit the Duterte patriarch the following day when Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed all charges — comprising three counts of crimes against humanity — against him. The last hurdle was overcome. All requisites for the formal trial of Duterte have been met. Rodrigo Duterte must face the accusation of crimes against humanity on the merits. Finally, the victims of the war on drugs will get the justice they truly deserve. On average, an ICC trial can last from eight to 10 years.

Duterte day is the day the Dutertes received a double blow, a double whacking. It was a bad day for the Dutertes. The patriarch lost his appeal, and his long-awaited trial is now a reality. The impeachment case of the daughter, on the other hand, is getting stronger as probable cause solidifies in the House panel hearings. Dirty secrets Sara Duterte desperately hides are surfacing, exposing her dark side as well as that of her family.

April 22, 2026, may be a terrible day for the Dutertes, but for the Filipino people, it was a day of rectitude. Truth and justice are ascendant. Transparency, accountability, and justice had their day on that date.