MANILA— House prosecution lead Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro has called for a review of the country’s anti-graft, tax, anti-money laundering and procurement laws following disclosures of allegedly undeclared income and government contracts linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte during her impeachment proceedings.

Luistro, the Batangas 2nd District representative and House Committee on Justice chairperson, said lawmakers should determine whether existing measures need amendments or stricter implementation to address possible financial misconduct and conflicts of interest among public officials.

“We need to revisit, if not to amend, laws such as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, [Republic Act (RA)] 3019; Anti-Money Laundering Act; Procurement Law; [RA] 6713, which is the Code of Conduct [and Ethical Standards for] Public Officials and Employees; at siguro isama na rin natin Securities Regulation Act, and also the COA (Commission on Audit) rules,” Luistro said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

She proposed the legislative review when asked about possible reforms following 37 days of impeachment proceedings, questioning why no tax evasion complaints had been filed despite financial discrepancies presented by prosecution forensic expert Atty. Alexander Cabrera.

“I find it strange. Bakit walang kasong nafa-file for tax evasion?” she said.

Luistro cited P101 million in allegedly undeclared personal income, P142 million involving Cale88 Foods Corp. and Metro City Chow Food Corp., and P212 million involving GenCorp Industries Inc. The companies were linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.

“Ang laki nito. Did we file a tax evasion case? Have we reached the threshold?” Luistro asked.

She said Congress should examine the National Internal Revenue Code to establish whether clearer guidelines are needed in investigating potential tax violations.

The lawmaker also urged stronger coordination among the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Office of the Ombudsman and Department of Justice to ensure that financial investigations involving possible offenses result in appropriate complaints or referrals.

She said the AMLC’s responsibilities should be more clearly defined, particularly regarding when its findings should be elevated to prosecutors.

Luistro likewise questioned 19 Davao City government contracts worth approximately P34 million awarded to GenCorp, in which Duterte allegedly declared a business interest. She raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest because the city government was led by Duterte’s brother, Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.

“Nakita natin during the presentation of evidence, nag-declare ang respondent Vice President ng business interest sa GenCorp, but look what happened: 19 contracts equivalent to around 34 million [pesos] were awarded by no less than the City Government of Davao, headed by her own brother,” Luistro said.

She also pointed to discrepancies between Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) and GenCorp’s corporate disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

To address these concerns, Luistro called for a review of safeguards under RA 12009, or the New Government Procurement Act, particularly provisions intended to prevent conflicts of interest in public contracts.

She also sought clearer rules on SALN disclosures under RA 6713 and a reassessment of securities regulations and Commission on Audit rules.

Cabrera testified on Friday that his analysis identified approximately P817.87 million in allegedly undeclared assets and income involving Duterte and Carpio from 2022 to 2025. The findings were presented in support of Article II of the impeachment complaint, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth.

Luistro said gaps in enforcement, rather than the absence of legislation, could be contributing to the problem.

“Baka ang kulang, implementation. Laws may be sufficient, pero ang kulang [ang] implementation,” she said.

The prosecution’s findings remain subject to examination by the defense and evaluation by the Senate impeachment court.