By Cliff Potts, Editor-in-Chief, WPS News
BAYBAY CITY, LEYTE, Philippines, October 9, 2026 — 2035 PHST

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Reporting

Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial remains active and has moved deeper into Article II, the unexplained-wealth and business-interests phase. The trial is now focused on financial records, bank transactions, tax filings, Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and money movement involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and related companies.

The sharpest new development is that the Philippine National Security Council is now looking into information presented during the impeachment trial involving China- and Hong Kong-linked remittances to a company associated with Duterte’s husband. Reuters reported that National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban said the remittances had been flagged by banks as suspicious and reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (Reuters, 2026a).

That makes the issue bigger than ordinary impeachment paperwork. Alleged unexplained wealth is already serious. Suspicious remittances connected to China and Hong Kong, presented during the impeachment trial and now being reviewed by the National Security Council, move the issue into a national-security frame.

Article II Stays Document-Driven

The Senate impeachment court is still working through Article II. Recent hearings have involved testimony and records from agencies tied to financial reporting and taxation.

Inquirer reported that Day 36 of the trial was expected to include testimony from a Bureau of Internal Revenue executive on the tax records of Duterte and Carpio. That fits the prosecution’s current strategy: connect SALNs, tax records, bank records, AMLC reports, and business interests into a single financial picture (Inquirer.net, 2026a).

GMA News reported that Day 37 was expected to continue with Article II and witness testimony intended to link SALNs, bank records, AMLC suspicious and covered transaction reports, BIR records, and income from corporations or entities associated with Duterte and her husband (GMA News Online, 2026a).

That is the core of this phase. The prosecution is no longer focused mainly on confidential-fund receipts or aliases. It is trying to show whether Duterte’s declared wealth and business interests match the financial record.

Trillanes Dropped, Records Stay

Another useful update is the prosecution’s decision not to present former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV as a witness.

Philstar reported that the Senate impeachment court had earlier declined to subpoena Trillanes, saying bank records or an AMLC witness should come first. The prosecution later said it would no longer present Trillanes, while still pursuing the allegations through official records (Philstar.com, 2026a).

That matters because Trillanes is a politically charged figure. Dropping him as a witness keeps the prosecution from turning this phase into a personality fight. It also forces the case back where it belongs: bank records, AMLC reports, tax records, and official documents.

Daily Tribune also reported that the House prosecution intended to verify Trillanes’ claims through bank, AMLC, and tax records rather than rely on him directly (Daily Tribune, 2026).

Why the China-Linked Remittance Issue Matters

The remittance issue is the part that could change the public weight of the case. Reuters reported that the National Security Council is looking into allegations presented during the trial that a company linked to Carpio received remittances from China and Hong Kong, and that the transactions had been flagged by banks as suspicious (Reuters, 2026a).

That does not prove wrongdoing. Suspicious transaction reporting is not a conviction. A national-security review is not a verdict. But it does mean the financial-records phase has produced information serious enough to draw the attention of the country’s security apparatus.

In the Philippines, foreign-linked money movement involving senior political families cannot be treated casually. The country is already under pressure from China in the West Philippine Sea. That does not mean every China-linked transaction is improper. But when such transactions surface inside an impeachment trial involving the vice president, the public has a right to know what they were, why they were flagged, and whether they had any political or security significance.

What It Means

The clean read is this: there is still no verdict, no dismissal, and no collapse of the Sara Duterte impeachment trial. The case has moved into the financial-records phase, and Article II is now the center of gravity.

What is new is that the Article II evidence has opened a national-security side door. The Senate is examining unexplained wealth, SALNs, bank records, AMLC reports, BIR documents, and business interests. At the same time, the National Security Council is reviewing China- and Hong Kong-linked remittances to a Duterte-family-linked company.

For WPS News, the story is no longer just “Where did the confidential funds go?” It is now also: What do the financial records show, why were some transactions flagged, and why is the National Security Council looking at money tied to China and Hong Kong?

That is not background noise. That is the next serious turn in the impeachment trial.

APA-Style Source List:

Daily Tribune. (2026, October 5). House prosecution to verify Trillanes claims vs Sara Duterte through bank, AMLC records.

GMA News Online. (2026, October 9). Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 37: What to expect.

Inquirer.net. (2026, October 8). WATCH: Sara Duterte impeachment trial, October 8, 2026.

Philstar.com. (2026, October 1). Sara Duterte trial recap, Oct. 1: Trillanes out, AMLC witness moved.

Reuters. (2026a, October 6). Philippine security council looking into China-linked remittances to Duterte family firm.

Reuters. (2026b, September 23). Philippine Senate lowers number of votes needed to convict VP Sara Duterte.

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