Marcos: Alleged Chinese funding of Sara a national security threat if true

SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday that his administration is thoroughly investigating allegations that Vice President Sara Duterte received funding from the Chinese government, warning that the claims, if proven true, would pose a serious threat to national security.

“We don’t want to speculate and waste time on rumors. But what we are doing is we are thoroughly investigating this matter, the allegation. If it’s real, then it’s very serious. If not, well and good, that’s one less thing that we all need to worry about,” Marcos said during a forum with Philippine media in Singapore.

The allegations surfaced during last week's Senate impeachment proceedings, when prosecutors presented financial records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) involving Duterte, her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, and companies linked to them.

AMLC records showed approximately ₱4.4 billion in covered and suspicious transactions involving the bank accounts of Duterte and Carpio from 2007 to 2025.

The records also identified more than ₱5.3 billion in covered and suspicious transactions involving 15 companies linked to the couple.

Among the companies was Cale88 Foods Corporation, which received approximately ₱319.33 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Carpio previously held an ownership interest in the company, which was also listed in Duterte's 2025 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

However, the origin of the remittances does not, by itself, establish that the funds came from the Chinese government.

Duterte's defense has denied that the financial records prove the Vice President and her husband received money from Beijing.

Marcos stressed that any established connection between foreign government funding and a high-ranking Philippine official would carry serious implications for the country's sovereignty.

“If it’s true, that is one thing that we have to worry about. It would go straight to the top of our list of threats that are facing the Philippines. Ibang usapan ito. We are talking about the sovereignty of the Republic. We are talking about the safety and security of the state,” the President said.

“I cannot take of any discussion that occurs at a higher level than that. That’s the way we are approaching,” he added.

The President maintained that the government must establish the facts rather than draw conclusions from unverified accusations.

Marcos chides Castro over ‘buwaon’ remark

Meanwhile, Marcos mildly reprimanded Palace Press Officer Claire Castro for publicly disclosing his private remark describing Duterte as “buwaon,” or liar.

Castro earlier shared the remark with Palace reporters when asked about Duterte's allegations that Malacañang was behind efforts to damage her reputation.

“Claire, why did you tell that to them? That’s supposed to be between the two of us. That’s my reaction to the allegation of changing the constitution of a no election,” Marcos said.

“Si Ante Claire talaga. It’s not an official press release,” he added.

Marcos also challenged Duterte to substantiate her accusations against his administration, emphasizing that serious allegations must be supported by evidence.

“She said blah blah.. then prove it. You’re saying that based on what? I can say to somebody ‘you’re a mass murderer. You killed 20,000 Filipinos. I have to prove it,’” the President said.

Marcos then told Castro that they would speak privately afterward.

The exchanges came amid heightened political tensions between Marcos and Duterte as the Senate continues the Vice President's impeachment trial.