The defense of Vice President Sara Duterte argued Monday that an alleged donation from the Chinese government to a foundation linked to the vice president does not automatically establish political support from Beijing.
According to a report by RHTV's Denisse Osorio, defense spokesperson Atty. Paolo Panelo made the statement in response to allegations raised by former Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV regarding alleged Chinese links and funding involving the foundation Tapang at Malasakit.
Panelo said that even if the Chinese government donated around ₱150 million to the foundation, the funds could have been used for legitimate charitable projects, such as building classrooms or other community initiatives in Davao.
“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. Awtomatiko agad na sinusuportahan ng Chinese government si Vice President,’” Panelo said.
He said the context and actual use of the alleged donation must first be established, including whether the funds were spent on charitable projects and supported by receipts and other documentation.
“What if it was used to build classrooms? Or what if it was used for charitable purposes at may resibo?” he said.
Panelo also questioned the evidentiary basis of Trillanes’ allegations, saying claims presented publicly must still meet the rules of evidence in the impeachment court.
“Yung mga allegations niya kasi pang-parlor, hindi pang-korte,” Panelo said, arguing that evidence presented in court must be credible and based on personal knowledge.
He also criticized Trillanes for raising the allegations through a press conference instead of appearing before the impeachment court and facing cross-examination by Duterte’s defense team.
Panelo said documents alone cannot automatically support conclusions about alleged political or national security ties, particularly if the person presenting them lacks personal knowledge of how the documents were prepared or the circumstances surrounding the transactions.
He maintained that allegations that the alleged Chinese funding proves Beijing supports Duterte are conclusions that must be established through admissible evidence.
“Kaya kailangan dumaan talaga dito sa impeachment court, kaya tayo may rules of evidence, kaya tayo may rule of law,” Panelo said.
Trillanes on Friday, October 2 raised allegations concerning supposed Chinese links and funding as part of the issues surrounding Duterte, who is facing an impeachment trial in the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.
