Teodoro: DND can share intel on China money to Cale88

MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the Department of National Defense (DND) can pass information it has gathered to investigative agencies probing the PHP 319 million in remittances from China and Hong Kong into Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“We can also give information na nakakalap natin to investigative agencies,” Teodoro said during a media interview after he defended his agency’s budget before the Senate.

Teodoro continued: “Pero as a general rule, any fund to a public official from a state-owned enterprise by China deserves the highest level of scrutiny.”

Teodoro added that they are still waiting for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other agencies to complete their probes on the multiple allegations against Duterte and Carpio that surfaced during the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

Teodoro earlier called for an investigation into the alleged China-linked funds, The Manila Times reported.

The National Security Council has said it would assess the national security implications of the funds, according to The Manila Times.

Previously at the trial, Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros presented documents showing that the remittances into Cale88 — a purported manufacturer of banana chips — came from China National Township Enterprises and Beijing Jianweifang Food Co.

Hontiveros said the two companies are Chinese state-owned enterprises with links to the Chinese Communist Party.

Hontiveros also revealed that some remittances to Cale88 were wired by Ukrainian firm Arkmen LLC, which is facing criminal complaints for money laundering and fraud.

These remittances are part of the PHP 4.4 billion in transactions made by Duterte and Carpio that were flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for being suspicious.

AMLC records presented at the trial showed no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose, or economic justification for the PHP 319,326,770.41 in remittances received by Cale88, The Manila Times reported.

AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified before the Senate impeachment court that Cale88 could be considered a “candidate” for money laundering over massive discrepancies between the firm’s financial capacity and the hundreds of millions of pesos flowing through its accounts.

Senator-Judge Joel Villanueva also questioned how Cale88 only had two employees according to its 2024 Audited Financial Statements, despite reporting around PHP 150 million in sales and PHP 6.13 million in losses.

Securities and Exchange Commission records show that Carpio was an incorporator, director, and shareholder of Cale88 from 2021 to 2024, The Philippine Star reported.

Duterte also listed Cale88 among her business interests in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), the newspaper said.

Veteran forensic financial analyst Atty. Alexander Cabrera testified before the impeachment court that Duterte and Carpio have amassed around PHP 817.87 million in alleged unexplained wealth.

Cabrera said this figure might even go up to around PHP 1.5 billion if he did not apply conservative accounting methods in his analysis of the financial records of the Vice President and her husband.

The Senate opened the impeachment trial of Duterte on July 6, and on Oct. 13, House prosecutors withdrew three of the four charges to focus on Article II, which covers unexplained wealth, SALN violations, and unlawful business interests.