“Yung allegations niya kasi pang parlor, hindi pang korte. Hindi ka pwedeng mag-allege lang na, oh, may donation ng Chinese government sa Tapang at Malasakit and the Vice President is one of the trustees. Otomatiko agad na sinusuportahan ng Chinese government si Vice President,” Panelo told reporters at the Senate.
“What if it was used to build classrooms? Or what if it was used for charitable purposes at may resibo?” he added.
During a press conference on Friday, Trillanes claimed that Duterte’s foundation received ₱150 million from the Chinese Embassy and that Carpio received ₱319 million through a company linked to him.
The prosecution had initially planned to present Trillanes as a witness on 2 October but later removed him from its witness lineup. The impeachment court then proceeded with financial evidence involving Duterte, Carpio and businesses linked to them.
Panelo also rejected the argument that a Chinese donation would automatically constitute an illegal act, noting that China has provided donations and assistance for infrastructure projects in the Philippines.
Panelo stressed that witnesses must have personal knowledge of the matters they testify about and that documents must be properly authenticated and placed in context before conclusions can be drawn from them.
When asked about the allegations, Panelo said Duterte was prepared to face any investigation arising from them. “Wala naman siyang tinatakbuhan na kahit anong kaso. So, kung merong investigation, e di mag-investigate kasi confident siya na nasa tama siya,” he said.
He also denied that Duterte had any relationship with China involving political support.
At the same time, he qualified his response when asked specifically about the alleged bank transactions, saying he was not personally familiar with the documents presented by Trillanes.
Panelo said he had spoken to someone who had previously been involved with the Tapang at Malasakit Foundation and who recalled that a donation may have been used to construct school buildings in the Davao area. But he stressed that the information had yet to be independently confirmed.
“It could be true pero may magandang rason kung bakit. Kung may pumasok man na gano'n, may magandang rason para ito,” Panelo said.
The prosecution has said it cannot simply use Trillanes’ press conference allegations as evidence in the impeachment trial because his statements were not made in the proceedings. House prosecution legal spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said the allegations could not be used as the basis for questions to witnesses.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy has declined to comment on the funding allegations, saying it did not want to interfere in Philippine politics.
