Lawyers of VP's husband warn media over AMLC report coverage aired in hearing

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyers for Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, warned reporters of possible criminal liability under anti-money laundering law, even as media reports have cited a document already aired at a public congressional hearing.

At a press conference Monday, May 4, lawyer Peter Paul Danao cited a provision of Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which he said makes media practitioners liable for publishing or reporting on confidential transaction records.

He told journalists to be careful in citing the Anti-Money Laundering Council report, copies of which he said he understood had been given to the media.

"Even under the AMLA, the media is being prohibited," Danao said. "You have to be careful in citing the AMLC report."

At the same time, he said Carpio had no plans to sue the media.

"Atty. Mans has not, and has no intention to, file any case against the media. We know that you're doing your job," Danao said.

Report was publicly shared

The AMLC report at issue was presented on April 22 at an open, livestreamed hearing of the House Committee on Justice, the body that held clarificatory impeachment hearings against Duterte, Carpio's wife.

The council's executive director, Ronel Buenaventura, appeared under subpoena and testified that banks had flagged P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions linked to accounts under Duterte and Carpio from 2006 to 2025.

The figures were displayed on slides before the committee and the public, and the proceedings remain accessible online.

The committee had subpoenaed the AMLC, not the banks or their records directly, specifically for its reports of covered and suspicious transactions.

Panel chair Rep. Gerville Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) repeatedly said the committee was erring on the side of caution and being "conservative" throughout the proceedings to stay within the boundaries of what it can and cannot show.

Carpio's camp, however, used the same legal argument to go on offense against the committee and the AMLC.

Last week, he filed criminal complaints against Buenaventura and several lawmakers, arguing that the public disclosure of his financial records during the hearings violated bank secrecy and data privacy laws.

For the media, Danao specifically cited Section 14(d) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which pertains to criminal liabilities and penalties including 3 to 8 years in jail for those who breach confidentiality.

It is a different provision of the law, Section 9, that states covered transactions should not be communicated to the media or aired by the media.

"We know that you're doing your job only and you may have missed this dahil hindi naman po lahat ng media are also lawyers... We're just trying to caution you now, mag hinay-hinay po tayo, dahil kung hindi kami, baka 'iyong iba, 'di ba?" Danao said during the Monday press conference.

"At least we're trying to educate media that there is such a provision of the law," he added.

The law, however, does not explicitly address whether the restriction still applies once the information has been disclosed in an open congressional hearing and made part of public proceedings.

NUJP warns of chilling effect

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines chair Jonathan de Santos said the warning could send a chilling signal regardless of intent.

"Raising the possibility of legal cases, even with a qualifier that they wouldn't file any complaints, can still be seen as an attempt to chill media from covering the proceedings and the matters discussed there," he said.

It would be "absurd for media to ignore findings from proceedings that are of public interest, conducted in an open hearing and were even streamed live online," De Santos added.

The House justice committee, he noted, holds a view contrary to Carpio's legal team, and no court has issued any order barring coverage of the proceedings.

De Santos said the warning was not new for the media, which has covered impeachment hearings before and has a record of refusing to buckle under pressure.

"Media would simply be doing its job by referring to the AMLC report," he said.