VP Duterte warns Marcos’ China allegations could strain Manila-Beijing ties

Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday warned that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s remarks linking alleged Chinese funding to a national security threat could damage Philippine relations with Beijing, accusing him of making a provocative charge against a country with longstanding ties to Manila.

Duterte said Marcos’ warning amounted to an accusation that China was interfering in Philippine domestic affairs, a claim she said lacked sufficient basis and could have serious diplomatic consequences.

“Bagaman wala itong sapat na katwiran, isa itong mapangahas at mapanganib na hamon sa China — isang bansang may mahabang kasaysayan ng ugnayan sa Pilipinas,” Duterte said in a statement, referring to what she described as Marcos’ accusation against Beijing.

“Serious ito. At maaaring magkaroon ito ng seryosong epekto sa ating relasyon sa China,” she added.

Duterte also warned that Marcos’ remarks could cast suspicion on Filipino businesses operating in China, saying the implications extended beyond the dispute over the alleged funding.

She accused Marcos of using the controversy to divert attention from his administration’s domestic problems and its handling of the territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.

She likewise warned that the government’s handling of the dispute could affect security beyond the two countries.

“Ang kabiguang ito ay hindi lamang naglalagay sa Pilipinas sa peligro, kundi maaari ring magkaroon ng seryosong epekto sa seguridad at katatagan ng mga bansa sa ASEAN region,” she said.

Marcos said on Sunday that allegations of Chinese government funding linked to Duterte, if proven true, would constitute a national security threat. He said his administration was investigating the claims and stressed the need to establish the facts.

The controversy centres on financial records presented during Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial showing that Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, received 319.3 million pesos in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV has alleged that the money came from the Chinese government. Anti-Money Laundering Council executive director Ronel Buenaventura, however, told the impeachment court that the council had no record showing that the Chinese government itself funnelled funds to the company.

Three transactions were flagged in suspicious transaction reports for lacking an underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification.