Pangilinan links timing of ₱41-M Carpio withdrawals to Duterte’s DepEd exit, drug charges

MANILA, Philippines– Senator-Judge Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan questioned the timing of P41 million in money withdrawals made by attorney Manases “Mans” Carpio on Aug. 6, 2024, 6 days after drug-related charges were submitted versus him and weeks after his other half, Vice President Sara Duterte, resigned as education secretary.

Throughout the 38th day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, Pangilinan stated that Duterte resigned as Department of Education secretary on July 19, 2024, while charges versus Carpio in connection with the supposed magnetic lifter occurrence were submitted on July 30.

According to monetary forensic expert Alexander Cabrera’s report, Carpio withdrew the P41 million within around one hour and 13 minutes.

“I ended up being curious about what took place on August 6, or where they were at the time,” Pangilinan stated. Cabrera verified that the accounts included came from Carpio.

Previously, Cabrera informed Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros that the deals appeared uncommon since withdrawals resumed instantly after a lunch break.

“It appeared as though there was some seriousness since the deals continued right away after lunch. It likewise takes significant time to count P41 million in money,” Cabrera stated.

He included that big money deals and spaces in paperwork might raise warnings in a forensic examination, however did not develop that the withdrawals themselves made up misbehavior.

Pangilinan likewise questioned the ownership of Cale88, whose 2025 records suggested that Carpio had actually moved his shares to Pikimong Philippines Corp.

Cabrera stated the forensic group continued to think about Carpio the owner since it discovered no documents developing that the shares had actually been moved.

The group taken a look at business records submitted with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), he stated, explaining Pikimong as a shell business.

Cabrera stated the business had just 2 investors and reported equity of P56,000 in 2024. Its reported properties in 2025 totaled up to P86,000.

He stated the records revealed no deals or disclosures developing that Pikimong had actually acquired Carpio’s shares in Cale88.

“Because there is no record of the transfer, the authorities records dominate,” he stated.

Pangilinan questioned how a business with such restricted reported capital might obtain an interest in Cale88, which tape-recorded considerable monetary inflows.

Cabrera clarified that the prosecution’s report recognized around P222 million in pertinent remittances, while about P319 million described quantities flagged in Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records.

He stated the group might not develop the funds’ supreme location.

Pangilinan likewise questioned the duplicated conversion of money into supervisors’ checks, consisting of checks provided in Carpio’s name. Cabrera stated he had actually not formerly come across such a pattern in his expert work.

He discussed that transforming money into a supervisor’s check does not get rid of the responsibility to state the quantity in a Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

“If the money is no longer stated, the receivable ought to be stated rather,” Cabrera stated.

He recognized P96 million in supervisors’ checks, consisting of P41 million and P55 million in deals, which he stated need to have been shown as receivables in the appropriate SALNs.

Pangilinan likewise analyzed Cabrera’s findings on GenCorp, which apparently grew from roughly P28 million in profits in 2021 to more than P520 million in 2025, regardless of reporting paid-in capital of just P1.25 million.

Cabrera stated the business’s monetary declarations did not plainly describe the source of the funds supporting its development and acquisitions.

He discussed that funds getting in a company would normally be anticipated to fund operations, devices, stock, worker incomes or financial obligation payments.

When cash moves into and out of a business without obviously including financial worth, the pattern can raise issues, he stated.