Skip to playerSkip to main content
Defense legal counsel Atty. Michael Poa, said the that the confidentiality of bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte is absolute, citing that the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) Section 8-A does not make any exceptions in protecting any information that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has received and processed, during the seventh day of the impeachment trial against Duterte on Monday, July 20.

This, after Senator-judge Joel Villanueva questioned Poa on whether how the Anti-Money Laundering Act is applied when confidential information is issued by a subpoena by the impeachment court. (Video courtesy of Senate of the Philippines)

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5664f6TkaeHgwBly50DWZQ/join

Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin

Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin
Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin

#VPSaraOnTrial
#ManilaBulletinOnline
#ManilaBulletin
#LatestNews
Transcript
00:00Binanggit niyo ho kanina yung relevance and if I recall it right last week, the good gentleman, Attorney Poe, made
00:08mention about the questions on confidentiality, sir, no?
00:13And this representation would like to better understand the legal basis of the defense position on confidentiality.
00:21We recognize that the law places a premium on protecting confidential information.
00:31At the same time, we are also dealing with a request made in the course of a constitutional proceeding before
00:40this impeachment court.
00:42At bilang mga senator judges, it's our constitutional duty to try and decide on impeachment cases.
00:52Mr. Defense Counsel, yung Section 8-A of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, binanggit niyo po ito last time, which
01:02prohibits the disclosure of confidential information.
01:06How should this apply to records sought through a sub-bina issued by the impeachment court?
01:15Because as I read, Your Honor, Section 8-A, it imposes confidentiality, but it does not expressly create an absolute
01:27privilege against the sub-bina.
01:30There is a distinction between an authorized disclosure and production pursuant to a lawful order of a constitutional body.
01:42So, again, my question, Your Honor, where exactly in Section 8-A does it say that AMLA, AMLC, may refuse
01:52a lawful sub-bina from this court, Your Honor?
01:56Thank you for that question, Your Honor.
01:58Unang-una, sagutin ko lang po yung pretense ng inyong tanong.
02:02Sabi nyo, this is a constitutional body, hindi po ba?
02:06And as we all know, there is an old legal maxim that the spring cannot rise over the source.
02:13Ibig sabihin po nun, while the impeachment court is a constitutional creation, it cannot go over and above the constitution
02:21itself.
02:22And when we talk about the impeachment court under Article 11, we cannot read that in isolation.
02:29We have to also give due regard for all other provisions of the constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights, kung
02:36saan?
02:36Due process ay isang bagay na nakatatak po doon at pinapakita doon, ano bang ibig sabihin ng due process?
02:44Due process is, kasama po sa kalakip ng due process, ang bawat na nasasakdal ay meron ding privilegiyo na maging
02:54ma-protect o ma-proteksyonan ng mga batas na isinagawa ng mismong Kongreso.
02:59So now, let's go on to Section 8A.
03:04As you can see, Your Honor, that is an, at least for our position, it's an absolute prohibition.
03:11Unlike other laws where they created, for example, in the Bank Secrecy Law, meron nakasulat doon, aaminin natin.
03:17In cases of impeachment, it's an exception.
03:19Tagdating po dyan, wala po ni isang exception.
03:22It could have been easy, especially since this is a 2021 amendment, no?
03:27It could have been easy for Congress to have cited impeachment as an exception if it did not, if it
03:34did actually wish to do so.
03:35But it did not, Your Honor.
03:37And it is our position that if we were to compel an issue of subpoena against these AMLOC records,
03:44we're actually compelling the officials to violate this very section of the law.
03:49And that is why we are saying, na pagdating sa 8A, absolute po yan.
03:54It does not say, no, that there's any exception if any court processes are actually issued to compel the production
04:01of these documents.
04:03Precisely because, ang nasa loob po kasi ng mga records ng AMLOC are intelligence, no?
04:08And that's why it's confidential.
04:10And once AMLOC determines that they find out that certain transactions are subject to money laundering
04:20or should be actually filed in court, the end result is the complaint itself and not the raw data.
04:25And that is why, Your Honors, as to the raw data or the information that they receive,
04:29yan po ay strictly confidential under 8A.
04:33And that's why, Your Honor, as to the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:43raw data or the raw data,
04:46and that's why, Your Honor, as to the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the
04:46raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data or the raw data
Comments

Recommended