MANILA, Philippines — April 22, 2026. Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV has alleged that the Duterte family received over P181 million in payouts from businessman Samuel “Sammy” Uy, whom he repeatedly referred to as a “drug lord,” during impeachment hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmed that some of Uy’s transactions matched their own records, intensifying scrutiny of the Vice President’s finances.

Trillanes testified before the House Committee on Justice that Uy issued cashier’s and personal checks totaling P181.6 million to various members of the Duterte family between 2011 and 2013. 

He broke down the alleged payouts as follows: Vice President Sara Duterte received P22.32 million across three transactions; Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte received P51.58 million across five transactions; Representative Paolo Duterte received P38.81 million across four transactions; Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte received P53.28 million across five transactions; and former president Rodrigo Duterte received P15.66 million across three transactions.

Uy, according to Trillanes, is a known business partner of Michael Yang, former presidential economic adviser who has been linked to controversies involving Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation and Philippine offshore gaming operators. Uy was also listed as one of Rodrigo Duterte’s top campaign donors in the 2016 presidential election.

The AMLC confirmed during the hearing that Vice President Sara Duterte was the beneficiary of check transactions worth P14.8 million from Uy and his associates between October 2011 and April 2012. 

AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura clarified that while they could not disclose the full nature of the transfers, their records matched several transactions cited in Trillanes’ affidavit.

Trillanes argued that these payouts, along with billions in suspicious transactions previously flagged by the AMLC, constitute impeachable offenses. “In my view, all of these constitute the ‘impeachable offenses’ of betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes as stated in the Constitution,” he said.

Vice President Duterte has previously dismissed similar allegations, saying in July 2025 that “As of now, the information with regard to the bank accounts were obtained illegally and I have no obligation to answer them.” She has maintained that she is willing to face questions in an impeachment trial.

The House justice panel continues to deliberate on the impeachment complaints, with lawmakers weighing the credibility of Trillanes’ claims against AMLC’s confirmations. The allegations have intensified political pressure on the Vice President, as questions about unexplained wealth and undeclared assets dominate the proceedings.