VP trial: Senators trace ₱96 million moved through BPI Manager's Checks

Senator-judges on Wednesday closely examined a series of manager’s check transactions totaling over ₱96 million tied to a joint Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account of former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, probing how the maneuvers affected year-end account balances.

The inquiry focused on the legal status and visibility of funds once converted into manager's checks.

BPI division head Marwin L. Galvez explained to the Senate impeachment court that when a manager’s check is purchased, the corresponding amount is immediately debited from the holder's account and transferred to BPI’s internal manager’s-check settlement account.

Consequently, as long as the check remains uncashed or outstanding, the underlying funds no longer reflect in the source account's visible monthly balance.

According to prosecution representative Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih, the transactions involved two time deposits worth approximately ₱41 million and ₱55 million.

Alih alleged that these funds were used to purchase manager’s checks that went uncashed, were later returned to the bank, and were subsequently reissued as new checks across six cycles between March 2011 and October 2013.

Addressing the courtroom, Senator-judge Vicente “Tito” Sotto III noted that industry insiders refer to this repetitive pattern as "tinikling."

“Yung daw pag-issue ng manager’s check, pagkatapos hindi ginagamit, later on, after 31st of December, ibabalik—ang tawag daw doon, ‘tinikling,’” Sotto said.

Galvez noted he was unfamiliar with the term.

Senator-judge Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan then sought clarification on how these maneuvers impacted the year-end figures for BPI Julia Vargas branch account ending in 9539, which lists the account holders as “Rodrigo Roa Duterte or Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Sara Z. Duterte.”

“So by December 31, wala ’yung ₱41 million, at least doon sa unang example, doon sa bank account?” Pangilinan asked.

“Tama po, Your Honor,” Galvez replied, confirming the funds were shifted to BPI’s settlement account for the duration the check was outstanding.

At Pangilinan’s request, Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero instructed the clerk of court to provide senator-judges with official account statements covering the specific windows when the checks remained pending.

Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo followed up by asking whether the funds effectively became hidden from public statements while the holders were serving in public office.

“By converting these funds into a manager’s check, the money effectively vanished from visible monthly bank statements of that specific account number, correct?” Tulfo asked.

“Hindi po siya lalabas as part of the total balance, Your Honor, for as long as nasa manager’s-check account,” Galvez said, clarifying that while the money disappeared from the source account's ledger, it remained within BPI's system. He added he would need to review detailed bank logs to identify who ultimately encashed or redeposited the checks.

Meanwhile, Senator-judge Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian inquired about BPI's know-your-customer (KYC) documentation for the joint account. Galvez confirmed that both Rodrigo and Sara Duterte had undergone standard BPI onboarding and signed the required KYC forms.

Gatchalian noted that tracing the movement of these time deposits—totaling over ₱96 million across 2010 and 2011—is critical to cross-referencing them against Vice President Sara Duterte's official Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

The prosecution continues to submit financial documentation as the impeachment court scrutinizes transactions associated with the Vice President and her husband, attorney Manases Carpio, against her public asset disclosures.

-Paraluman News