Luistro: People with dirty secrets oppose disclosure of bank transactions

Individuals who oppose the disclosure of bank transactions are those with dirty secrets, House justice committee chairperson and Batangas Second District Rep. Gerville Luistro said Wednesday. 

Luistro made the position in response to the complaint filed by lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing the House panel of violating the Bank Secrecy Law, the Data Privacy Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act amid the Anti Money Laundering Council’s disclosure of P6.7 billion worth of covered and suspicious bank transactions under the names of Carpio and the Vice President. 

“If there is nothing to hide, there is no reason to hide, no reason to obstruct. The only people who fear the disclosure of these transactions are those with dirty secrets,” the panel chairperson said. 

“Transparency is the only response of those withintegrity; everything else is just an excuse,” she added. 

Luistro cited that the Bank Secrecy law and other related measures were not enacted to protect suspicious transactions. 

“Hindi nilikha ang bank secrecy para maging taguan ng hindi maipaliwanag na yaman. Ang layunin ng bank secrecy ay protektahan ang lehitimong deposito, hindi pagtakpan ang kahina-hinalang galaw ng bilyon-bilyong piso," she said. 

“The AMLC has the mandate to scrutinize suspicious transactions and report them to authorities. Ferreting out  the truth is not in violation of any law. We are only heeding to the high principle of accountability,” she added.

Complaint

In addition, Luistro underscored that Carpio, in filing a complaint, did not question the authenticity or the veracity of the AMLC records on their bank transactions to begin with. 

“The complaint is going after the impeachment process and our power to subpoena, not the contents of the AMLC report. Klaro na hindi tinatanggi ang mga bilyones na nabanggit sa AMLC report. At tila inaamin na may bilyon-bilyong piso ngang tinatago, at ang tanging reklamo lamang ay: bakit ninyo kami binubulabog?” she said. 

Luistro then said that the impeachment proceedings, including the House justice panel's authority to issue subpoena, are anchored on the Constitution that will always reign above all other ordinary laws, including the Bank Secrecy law.

“They can complain as long as they want but such actions won’t change the truth: The Constitution ranks the highest among our laws, and the Constitution states that public officials are accountable to the people. Anumang limitasyon na nilikha ng ordinaryong batas, kasama na ang Bank Secrecy law, ay hindi maaaring manaig laban sa mandato ng Konstitusyon para sa public accountability,” she added. 

(The limit of other laws, including the Bank Secrecy law, cannot supersede our Constitutional mandate for public accountability.)

“At tayo sa komiteng ito ang boses ng utos na iyan, kaya nga pwede tayo mag-issue ng nararapat na subpoena, at lalo na sa kaso ng impeachment, pwede nating hingiin ang report ng AMLC,” she added.

(Under the Constitution, we have the power to issue a subpoena, especially for impeachment, and we can ask for AMLC report.)

During the same hearing, Luistro said the 19 bank transactions stated in the affidavit of former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV matched the records under the AMLC report on covered and suspicious transactions involving the Vice President and her husband. 

“Hindi ito tsamba. Hindi coincidence. Ito ay kumpirmasyon (This is not by chance. Not coincidence. This is confirmation),” the lawmaker  said. 

Diversionary tacticMeanwhile, Akbayan Party-List Representative Representative Chel Diokno called the complaint filed by Carpio at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office as a "diversionary tactic"."Kinikilala natin na kung sinuman ay pwedeng maghain ng kaso, karapatan naman nila 'yon—pero kailangan nating bigyang-diin ito: ang ginagawa lang namin, ang ginagawa ng buong komite ay ang aming tungkulin sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon. Wala kaming nilabag na batas, puro legal ang ginawa namin," Diokno said.(We recognize that anyone can file cases, that is part of our rights. But I think we need to emphasize that the committee is doing this because this is part of our mandate under the Constitution. We did not violate any law.)"I think it's pretty clear na itong pagsasampa ng reklamo laban sa atin ayisang diversionary tactic, gusto nilang malimutan ng taumbayan kung bakit tayo naririto. Sana 'wag tayo magpadala at ako, I can speak for everyone else who has been charged, hindi kami natatakot, hindi kami ma-i-intimidate," he added.(I think it's pretty clear that the case was a diversionary tactic. They want the public to forget why we are here. I hope that we will not be intimidated.) —AOL/ VAL, GMA News