MANILA — Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said Vice President Sara Duterte may be liable for an election offense if allegations that her 2022 campaign was partly funded by Chinese nationals linked to Pharmally are proven true.

Chua cited provisions of the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to a candidate’s campaign expenses and bar candidates from soliciting or accepting such donations, whether directly or indirectly.

“Kapag napatunayang dayuhan ang mga nag-ambag sa kampanya, malinaw na may isyu ng (If proven that foreign nationals contributed to the campaign, it’s clear that there is) culpable violation of the Constitution,” Chua said in a statement.

“Ang nakikita ko rito ay posibleng election offense, dahil may distribution na naganap. Kailangan nating alamin kung ang mga sangkot ay Chinese citizens. Kung sila ay foreign nationals at hindi Pilipino, malinaw na may paglabag sa election code (What I see here is a possible election offense, because a distribution occurred. We need to ascertain if the involved parties are Chinese citizens. If they are foreign nationals, there is a clear violation of the election code),” he added.

Chua also noted that aside from the alleged receipt of foreign contributions, another issue is whether such funds were properly declared in Duterte’s Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), if the allegations are established.

The allegations were raised by Duterte’s alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, who claimed in a supplemental affidavit that he received millions of pesos from Pharmally financial officer Lin Weixiong and businessmen Maestrado Lim, also known as Tony Yang, and Michael Yang, for campaign-related activities.

Chua said Lim and Yang are known associates of former President Rodrigo Duterte, noting that Yang previously served as his economic adviser. He also pointed out that they have been linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations.

Madriaga said the funds were coursed through the Initiative for Social Justice, Innovation, and Progress Pilipinas (ISIP), which he described as a non-profit group he formed, and which he said originally stood for “Inday Sara is my President.”

He alleged the group was created to support Duterte’s 2022 presidential bid on the instruction of the Vice President and former president in 2020.

According to Madriaga, he was later directed to collect donations from allies and supporters, including PHP175 million from Wei Xiong and PHP100 million from Lim, which were allegedly used for campaign activities such as organizing chapters, producing merchandise, travel, accommodations, office rentals, and allowances for volunteers.

Chua said the House justice committee remains open to receiving Duterte’s response, should she choose to address the allegations in impeachment proceedings.

“If the Vice President wants to submit an affidavit or any evidence she deems necessary to deny the claims, she may do so freely, and the panel will take it into consideration,” he said.

Duterte has so far not attended the committee hearings, while her camp has filed petitions before the Supreme Court seeking to halt the proceedings.