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Advocates Philippines
Defensor Slams House Probe As 'Fishing Expedition'
Photo credit: Mike Defensor
Former congressman Mike Defensor has criticized the ongoing House Justice Committee proceedings on the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of Sara Duterte, calling the hearings unnecessary and lacking solid evidence.
In a post, Defensor described the inquiry as excessive and unfounded, saying it had turned into a so-called “fishing expedition.”
“WALANG KWENTA”
He argued that since lawmakers had already voted that the complaint was sufficient in “form and substance,” they should have already been confident that there was a clear anomaly or illegal act to investigate. Instead, he said, the committee continued to look for evidence that had not been established.
Defensor challenged the basis of the probe, saying there was no concrete proof of undeclared assets or illicit funds tied to the Vice President.
He also raised concerns about the involvement of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), arguing that disclosure of bank records is generally restricted by law and may only be ordered through proper legal authority such as the courts or an impeachment tribunal.
According to him, some of the transactions being cited date back to 2005, which he noted was before Duterte assumed the vice presidency. He questioned the relevance of these records to an impeachment complaint that focuses on her actions while in office.
Defensor further explained that under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, “covered transactions” refer to single-day transactions exceeding ₱500,000, while “suspicious transactions” are flagged based on unusual patterns. He stressed that these are not proof of wrongdoing but part of a monitoring system meant to trigger further review.
He also criticized how financial figures were presented during the hearing, saying the data reflected total inflows and outflows rather than actual account balances.
Citing figures discussed in the proceedings, he noted that the total movement of funds in Duterte’s accounts from 2022 to 2025 reached about ₱60.1 million. He stressed, however, that this represents the movement of money and not savings or retained funds.
Defensor maintained that the figures being highlighted could be misleading when taken out of context, insisting that the hearings have so far failed to establish clear evidence of wrongdoing.
In a post, Defensor described the inquiry as excessive and unfounded, saying it had turned into a so-called “fishing expedition.”
“WALANG KWENTA”
He argued that since lawmakers had already voted that the complaint was sufficient in “form and substance,” they should have already been confident that there was a clear anomaly or illegal act to investigate. Instead, he said, the committee continued to look for evidence that had not been established.
Defensor challenged the basis of the probe, saying there was no concrete proof of undeclared assets or illicit funds tied to the Vice President.
He also raised concerns about the involvement of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), arguing that disclosure of bank records is generally restricted by law and may only be ordered through proper legal authority such as the courts or an impeachment tribunal.
According to him, some of the transactions being cited date back to 2005, which he noted was before Duterte assumed the vice presidency. He questioned the relevance of these records to an impeachment complaint that focuses on her actions while in office.
Defensor further explained that under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, “covered transactions” refer to single-day transactions exceeding ₱500,000, while “suspicious transactions” are flagged based on unusual patterns. He stressed that these are not proof of wrongdoing but part of a monitoring system meant to trigger further review.
He also criticized how financial figures were presented during the hearing, saying the data reflected total inflows and outflows rather than actual account balances.
Citing figures discussed in the proceedings, he noted that the total movement of funds in Duterte’s accounts from 2022 to 2025 reached about ₱60.1 million. He stressed, however, that this represents the movement of money and not savings or retained funds.
Defensor maintained that the figures being highlighted could be misleading when taken out of context, insisting that the hearings have so far failed to establish clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Apr 22, 2026
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