Who is Sammy Uy?

Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday told the impeachment hearing of the House Committee on Justice that Vice President Sara Duterte and members of her family received millions of pesos from businessman Samuel “Sammy” Uy, whom the senator alleged to be a drug lord.

Who is Uy, and how is he linked to the Duterte family?

Uy is a Davao-based businessman and was among the major campaign donors of former president Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 national elections.

Records of Duterte’s Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) showed that four Davao-based businessmen contributed a total of P165 million, accounting for more than half of the campaign’s reported cash donations.

Uy, of Davao Farms and Davao Import Distributors Inc., contributed P30 million, as did two others.

According to GMA News Research, Uy, Rodrigo Duterte, and several others were stockholders in Honda Cars General Santos. Uy reportedly held a 7% stake in the car dealership.

From 2012, when he was still mayor of Davao City, to 2022, when he ended his presidency, Rodrigo Duterte declared in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, personal loans he got from Uy, ranging from P800,000 to P3 million.

“The miscellaneous payables were actually various personal loans I obtained from Mr. Samuel Uy. Due to the passage of time, I could no longer recall with certainty the specific details of said accounts," Rodrigo Duterte told GMA News Research in a reply to a query years ago when he was still mayor.

“Whenever I am in need of immediate cash for my personal use and for some other purposes, Mr. Uy had never refused my pleas. From the time I started my political career, Mr. Uy has been a consistent contributor to my cause," he added.

“Mr. Samuel Uy is an old family friend who has been with me through thick and thin. Our friendship started when we were still young,” Rodrigo Duterte said.

The former President said Uy comes from a wealthy Filipino-Chinese family in Davao City, who had established a long line of businesses, including the distribution of household appliances, furniture, office equipment, motorcycles, and construction materials; leasing of real estate; and a poultry farm, among others.

The then-mayor’s reply also identified other businesses of Uy, including a motel, a hotel, a gasoline station, realty businesses, and a majority ownership of a private hospital in Davao City.

In 2017, Trillanes—a longtime critic of the Duterte family—alleged that Uy made bank deposits to accounts of Rodrigo Duterte’s common-law wife and children.

GMA News is trying to get a comment from Uy and will publish it as soon as it is available.

Manny Piñol, a former secretary of agriculture under the Duterte administration, said linking Uy to drugs was "simply stretching the political black propaganda beyond what is believable."

"Davao City old-timers will attest to the fact that while Sammy was like a brother to Rody Duterte, he did not abuse or take advantage of their friendship when the latter became President," Piñol said on Facebook.

"I would assume Sammy benefited from business dealings because of his closeness to the President, but the alleged involvement in drugs is unbelievable," he added.

The first impeachment complaint against Sara Duterte filed in the 19th Congress said Uy was identified by SPO4 Arturo Lascañas as being involved in the operation of shabu laboratories in Davao City.

The complaint said Lascañas was a confessed leader of the Davao Death Squad and a witness in the International Criminal Court in the extra-judicial killings case against Rodrigo Duterte.

Sara Duterte, when she was mayor of Davao City, admitted knowing Uy but questioned Trillanes' allegations.

She said she was willing to return the money if Trillanes could prove its existence and illegality, and challenged him to present evidence that her father received millions from Uy while serving as vice mayor.

Trillanes has continued to raise these allegations, including during the House Committee on Justice impeachment deliberations in 2026 on whether there is probable cause to impeach the Vice President.

He alleged that of the P181 million linked to Uy, members of the Duterte family received the following amounts:

• Sara Duterte – P22.3 million
• Rodrigo Duterte – P15.65 million
• Sebastian Duterte – P51.5 million
• Paolo Duterte – P38.3 million

He also said P42.62 million went to the joint account of Honeylet Avanceña and Veronica Duterte, while another P10.65 million went to Avanceña’s account.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Office of the Vice President for comment and will update this story once a response is received.—with GMA News Research/MCG/NB, GMA News