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Metro Manila, Philippines – A wide gap between the reported financial transactions of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, and her declared assets seemingly cannot be accounted for on Tuesday, Oct. 6, as the prosecution wrapped up its presentation of the witness from the Anti Money Laundering Council or AMLC. Impeachment court Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero tested the figures against her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) from years when Duterte was a Davao City official until she became vice president. On the second day of AMLC executive director Ronel Buenaventura’s testimony, Escudero examined the reported transactions against Duterte’s SALNs, using several hypothetical calculations to test how the figures could be reconciled. For 2022 to 2025, Escudero noted that the couple had ₱424.18 million in reported transactions, while his addition of Duterte’s declared assets for the same years amounted to about ₱336 million. Escudero acknowledged…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippines and Poland are preparing to negotiate an extradition agreement in a bid to expand legal cooperation in step with growing defense and economic ties. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the Manila-Warsaw talks during his meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki at Malacañang on Tuesday, Oct. 6. “We further affirmed our readiness to commence negotiations on an extradition agreement,” Marcos said during a joint press conference. Both sides just signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Marcos said the agreement builds on an earlier deal covering the transfer of sentenced persons. “I am also pleased with the progress in legal cooperation between our two countries, marked by the signing of the Agreement on a Transfer of Sentenced Persons earlier this year, and today, as we have just witnessed, the signing of the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters,” he said.…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Two senators said they found it unusual for an office in the Senate to be stripped bare of furnishings and fixtures by its former occupant, thus the need to refurbish the place to make it functional. Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto was about to occupy the room of detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who formerly held the post under the short-lived leadership of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, but found it literally empty of everything.  In a post on X, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said it is not a practice to take down fixtures and take out furnishings when vacating an office space, countering a statement from Estrada’s office.  “Nothing was removed nor destroyed, precisely because government funds were used when I refurbished it when it was turned over to me,” he said, citing his own experience. Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian did an ocular and said…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte challenged National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag to file a case against Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. if investigators find that he made false statements, as she also raised an alleged conflict of interest involving the NBI chief. Duterte said she expects the NBI to act on Matibag’s earlier statement that Gracioso could face a case if allegations in his affidavit are proven false. “Gusto ko makita ngayon na mag-file ang NBI ng kaso kay Gracioso pagkatapos nilang makuha yung mga affidavit,” Duterte said in a press briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 6.  [Translation: I now want to see the NBI file a case against Gracioso after they obtain the affidavits.] Duterte said she would wait for the NBI’s action before revealing what she described as Matibag’s conflict of interest in the controversy. “Bago ko ilabas yung conflict of interest ni Matibag, gusto ko…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte said her mother had floated the possibility of Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte seeking national office instead of her, although she stressed that she and her brother have not discussed a presidential run. Duterte was asked Tuesday, Oct. 6, whether her camp was considering fielding her brother for a national position following his recent appearance at the Senate Impeachment Court. “Hindi namin napag-usapan ni Mayor Sebastian Duterte ang pagtakbo niya bilang pangulo,” Duterte said.  [Translation: Mayor Sebastian Duterte and I have not discussed him running for president.] Duterte, however, recalled that their mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, had previously told her to return to Davao and leave a possible national run to Baste. “Sinabi ng nanay ko, sabi niya, umuwi ka dito sa Davao. Tapos sabi niya, bahala na si Baste dun sa national,” she said.  [Translation: My mother told me, ‘Come home…