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The National Security Council says it will look into the allegation which it 'takes seriously'
MANILA, Philippines – Is a Philippine-based company with ties to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, receiving funds from Chinese state-owned firms?
During the continuation of Duterte’s impeachment trial on Tuesday, October 6, Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros disclosed that an investigation by her office showed that Cale88 Food Corporation received remittances from Chinese companies, including entities linked to China’s state-owned sector.
Among them are China National Township Enterprises (CNTE), which Hontiveros said operates under the supervision of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).
SASAC is a ministerial-level institution under China’s State Council that oversees non-financial state-owned enterprises. Hontiveros said CNTE was previously under China’s Ministry of Agriculture before it came under SASAC.
Hontiveros also identified Beijing Zhenweifang Food Company, which she said also made remittances to Cale88.
Hontiveros said one of Beijing Zhenweifang Food Company’s major investors is Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, which she described as a Chinese state-owned enterprise that “advances the interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
She also pointed to the company’s corporate governance structure, saying it includes CCP organizations, including a party committee, a Party Committee Organization Department, and 11 subordinate party branches.
Hontiveros further noted that the chairperson of Beijing Zhenweifang Food Company is allegedly a member of the district-level Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
“A US economic and security report showed that delegates to the CPPCC serve as proxies for CCP interests, and they frequently act as interlocutors with foreign government officials, businesses, and academic institutions,” Hontiveros said.
She also cited reports from Canada and Australia describing the CPPCC’s role in China’s United Front activities and raising concerns about its links to foreign influence operations.
The disclosures came a day after Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura told the impeachment court that Cale88 received P319 million from China and Hong Kong, based on covered transaction reports (CTRs) and suspicious transaction reports (STRs).
Of the amount, P315.93 million came from mainland China, while P3.39 million came from Hong Kong.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously accused Carpio of receiving P319 million in cash remittances from China through Cale88. The company is listed in the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2022 to 2025.
Chinese embassy responds
The Chinese embassy in Manila denied the allegations.
“We strongly condemn and firmly oppose such malicious rhetoric and actions. We urge the relevant individuals in the Philippines to stop political manipulation and not to drag Philippine domestic politics into China-Philippines relations,” the embassy said in a statement.
“Attempts to achieve personal political gains by smearing and discrediting China and harming China’s interests and image are doomed to fail, and will ultimately undermine the interests of the Philippines and its people,” it added.
In a separate media briefing, House prosecutors raised concerns over Hontiveros’ allegations, saying these raise questions of possible constitutional violations by Duterte.
Prosecutor Terry Ridon said the House prosecution panel will discuss whether the information could be incorporated into its presentation on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
“Mabigat na alegasyon ito, but we will discuss with the team kung maihahabol ba namin ito within the limited time and days that we have in the presentation of our evidence,” Ridon said.
(This is a serious allegation but we will discuss with the team if we can still do this within the limited time and days that we have in the presentation of our evidence.)
NSC: Allegation ‘warrants careful, in-depth, and responsible assessment’
The National Security Council (NSC), for its part, said it would look into the reported inflow of Chinese funds to Cale88, saying it “takes seriously” the information presented during the impeachment proceedings.
“The NSC will look into the information presented and, as a matter of policy, continue to task the intelligence and investigative agencies and coordinate with relevant government institutions to assess the national security implications, if any, arising from the reported transactions,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban said in a statement.
Oban said the information presented at the trial remained subject to vetting through established legal processes.
He said that “the reported transactions and any credible information involving significant foreign financial flows that may bear upon the country’s national security warrants careful, in-depth, and responsible assessment.” – Rappler.com
