Analogies illustrating the scale of P6 billion were posted on social media after the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reported alleged suspicious bank transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Reports said the AMLC confirmed on Wednesday, April 22, that the total cash flow from the flagged transactions reached P6.77 billion.
The revelation came during the AMLC’s attendance at the House Committee on Justice‘s hearing on the impeachment proceedings against the vice president, where it responded to questions on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
The AMLC said bank accounts under Duterte and her husband recorded 33 “suspicious” transactions from 2006 to 2025.
The council said such transactions are considered suspicious if the amount is unjustified, if the client is not properly identified, or if the amount does not match the client’s business or financial capacity, among others.
It also reported a total of 630 transactions under Duterte and Carpio classified as “covered,” referring to transactions exceeding P500,000 in a single banking day.
The revelation prompted reactions from some Filipinos, who reflected on the scale of the alleged P6 billion in transactions and how such an amount could have been better utilized.
“Para lang mas na-i-imagine natin kung ano ang 6 billion pesos. That’s more than 7,500 classrooms for last-mile schools. That’s 8,633,094 days — or 23,652 years — of daily work at Manila’s minimum wage,” Angat Buhay executive director Raffy Magno wrote.
“Corruption is not abstract. It is livelihoods taken, families strained, communities forced to wait. Every peso lost is a future taken,” Magno added.
“Kung minimum wage earner ka, kailangan mong magtrabaho ng lagpas walong milyong araw para magka-anim na bilyong piso,” he continued.
An architect shared comparisons of what P6 billion could build in terms of homes and properties.
“A 100 sqm house from ground up may cost 10 million pesos. A 100 sqm property in a heritage district costs 100 million pesos. A penthouse unit in Makati costs 250 million pesos. With P6 billion, you can buy 60 properties in Binondo, build 600 ground-up houses, or buy 24 luxury condos. NAKAKASUKA,” the architect said.
“6 BILLION???!!! Nakapagpaayos na sila ng lahat ng classrooms at makabili ng iPad sa bawat estudyante sa pera na iyan!!!” another commented.
“Imagine, minimum wage earner ka, it’ll take 32,800 [plus] years working every day para magka-6 billion [pesos] ka,” a different Pinoy wrote.
“That’s more than enough to pay for the whole college fees of entire city students for free! And it all goes down to their own pockets only!” another said.
The AMLC said the P6.77 billion transactions included P230.87 million from 2019 to 2024, the years during which Duterte did not declare cash and cash deposits in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
Duterte is currently facing impeachment complaints over allegations of misuse of confidential funds, threats against ranking officials, and other possible violations of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
