Chinese-linked campaign donations to VP Sara ground for impeachment

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

Vice President Sara Duterte (Inday Sara Duterte/facebook)

MANILA – Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said Vice President Sara Duterte may have committed an election offense if allegations that her 2022 campaign was partly financed by Chinese nationals linked to Pharmally are proven true.

Section 81 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to a candidate’s campaign expenditures.

Section 96, meanwhile, makes it unlawful for candidates and political parties to solicit or accept such contributions, whether directly or indirectly.

“Kapag napatunayang dayuhan ang mga nag-ambag sa kampanya, malinaw na may isyu ng (If proven that foreign nationals contributed to the campaign, it’s clear that there is) culpable violation of the Constitution,” Chua said in a statement.

“Ang nakikita ko rito ay posibleng election offense, dahil may distribution na naganap. Kailangan nating alamin kung ang mga sangkot ay Chinese citizens. Kung sila ay foreign nationals at hindi Pilipino, malinaw na may paglabag sa election code (What I see here is a possible election offense, because a distribution occurred. We need to ascertain if the involved parties are Chinese citizens. If they are foreign nationals, there is a clear violation of the election code),” he added.

Chua also pointed out that receiving donations from foreign nationals is one issue, but whether Duterte declared these contributions in her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) is an entirely separate concern, should the allegations prove true.

Duterte’s alleged bagman, Ramil Madriaga, claimed in his supplemental affidavit to have received millions of pesos from Pharmally financial officer Lin Weixiong and businessmen Maestrado Lim, also known as Tony Yang, and his brother Michael Yang, supposedly for the vice president’s campaign activities.

Chua recalled that Lim and Yang are also known associates of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, with Yang having served as his economic adviser.

They are also among those linked to the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Madriaga said the funds were used by the Initiative for Social Justice, Innovation, and Progress Pilipinas (ISIP), a non-profit organization he formed whose acronym, he said, originally stood for “Inday Sara is my President.”

It was allegedly created to support Duterte’s 2022 presidential bid, which he said was established on the instructions of both Duterte and the former president in 2020.

Once ISIP was up and running, Madriaga said the former president directed him to collect financial donations from close allies and supporters, which included PHP175 million allegedly from Wei Xiong and PHP100 million purportedly from Lim.

Madriaga claimed the money was used “to fund the campaign activities of ISIP across the country,” covering the establishment of chapters, campaign merchandise, travel, accommodations, office rentals, and allowances for volunteers and organizers.

Meanwhile, Chua said the committee on justice “is keeping its doors open should the Duterte camp take the opportunity to confront these allegations at the impeachment hearings.”

“If the Vice President wants to submit an affidavit or any evidence she deems necessary to deny the claims, she may do so freely, and the panel will take it into consideration,” he said.

Duterte has been absent from all of the Justice committee’s hearings so far, refusing to directly answer the impeachment allegations against her.

Her camp, however, filed petitions before the Supreme Court seeking to stop the proceedings.