MindaNews / 29 July 2026 — Senator-Judge Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday clarified that the Anti-Money Laundering Act only provides for two categories of bank transactions that must be reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council: covered and suspicious.
Lacson said covered transactions are those that involve amounts above ₱500,000, and must be reported even if not considered suspicious.
“Wala po sa batas yung kaduda-duda eh (Doubtful is not in the law). Either it’s suspicious or covered,” he said, referring to Senate impeachment court presiding officer Chiz Escudero’s use of “kaduda-duda.”
“It’s either you categorize it into covered or suspicious. Huwag na natin pag-usapan yung unusual (Let’s not talk about unusual),” he adds.
Lacson was reacting to the testimony of former Land Bank DepEd branch manager Nenita Camposano, who described as “unusual” the withdrawals made by the Department of Education in three instances and totaling ₱112.5 million in 2023.
On Wednesday, Day 10 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Camposano, who was branch manager from May 2022 to September 2024, testified on three checks worth ₱37.5 million each payable to DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajardo.
Duterte served as DepEd secretary from June 30, 2022 until July 2024.
As presented by House prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua, the checks were dated February 20, 2023, and encashed February 22; April 19, 2023, and encashed April 26; and July 11, 2023, and encashed July 13.
The checks, the authenticity of which the defense did not contest, were all funded by the Philippine Treasury and drawn against the account of the DepEd Office of the Secretary.
Asked by Lacson whether a deposit or withdrawal of more than ₱500,000 by an ordinary depositor makes it a covered transaction, Camposano answered in the affirmative.
Under questioning by Senator-Judge Kiko Pangilinan, Camposano said the ₱37.5-million encashments were nearly four times the usual range of around ₱10 million.
Senator-Judge Imee Marcos confronted Camposano with a transcript of a House good government committee hearing in November 2024, where she was questioned by Rep. Janette Garin whether encashments like the ₱37.5 million were a regular occurrence, and she answered “yes”.
Camposano explained that it was unusual for the DepEd because it was the only huge withdrawal by the agency during her time as branch manager.
She also confirmed, under questioning by Senator-Judge Joel Villanueva, who read from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular 1215, that transactions, such as DepEd’s, are considered unusual because they showed “patterns that are inconsistent with the account owner’s usual behavior.”
Earlier on Wednesday, former Land Bank Shaw Boulevard branch manager Violeta Constantino testified on the encashment of four checks worth ₱125 million each payable to Gina F. Acosta, the special disbursing officer of the OVP.
Constantino also described as “unusual” the ₱125-million withdrawals made by the OVP.
The prosecution has now put on record that the OVP has withdrawn ₱500 million, and the DepEd ₱112.5 million in confidential funds from December 2022 until July 2023.
The impeachment court has started proceedings on Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which alleges Duterte’s misuse of ₱612 million in confidential funds under the OVP and while she was education secretary. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)
