By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Security Bank records showed more than PHP40 million moving through a Cale88 Foods Corporation peso account in 2024, as senator-judges raised an unresolved question over transactions that were reportedly unsupported by documents normally required by the bank.
Security Bank Branch Banking Group Head Leslie Cham told the Senate impeachment court Wednesday that the account recorded PHP40,138,766.28 in inflows and PHP40,001,101.79 in outflows during the year.
He clarified that the PHP332,530.95 earlier cited before the court was only the account’s year-end balance, and did not represent the total amount that had moved through it.
Security Bank records also showed PHP6,265,915.66 in inflows in 2025.
The financial trail drew further scrutiny after Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian cited a suspicious transaction report (STR) stating that a client failed to provide supporting documents and remained unresponsive to requests for clarification.
“However, the client failed to provide supporting documents and remained unresponsive to the request for clarification, which resulted in the bank being unable to validate the source and purpose of the transaction,” Gatchalian read from the record.
He also cited another STR describing fresh funds as not commensurate with the customer’s declared financial profile.
Cham declined to confirm or discuss the specific Cale88 STRs, saying the reports were covered by confidentiality restrictions and were outside the scope of his subpoena.
“I cannot confirm,” he said when asked whether Security Bank had filed STRs involving Cale88.
Senator-judge Bam Aquino later pressed Cham on how Security Bank normally handles large remittances whose source or purpose is not backed by documentation.
Cham said the bank generally requires contracts, sales invoices, deeds of sale or similar records to establish the legitimacy of the transaction.
“We don’t transact without any documents,” he said.
Asked whether Security Bank would accept a remittance without the required proof, Cham replied: “Yes, we don’t accept.”
He said such funds are normally returned.
“Usually we actually return the money,” Cham said.
Aquino then pointed to the apparent gap between that policy and the transactions being examined.
“So ang sinasabi ninyo, hindi puwedeng makapasok iyong pera kung walang dokumento… Paano nangyari iyon (So what you are saying is the money cannot come in without documents… How did that happen)?” Aquino asked.
Cham said he could not determine whether the questioned funds were returned, retained or otherwise handled by the bank.
“I don’t want to speculate on what had happened because I’m not also clear where the money is returned or retained,” he said.
The testimony also established that Cale88 maintained two peso checking accounts with Security Bank, opened in August 2024 and October 2025.
Both accounts were closed in July 2026.
“Yes, it appears that Cale88 has two checking accounts but was closed already as of this point in time,” Cham said. (PNA)
BANK RECORDS. Security Bank Branch Banking Group Head Leslie Cham testifies before the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday (Oct. 7, 2026). Cham presented records on accounts linked to Cale88 Foods Corporation, GenCorp Industries Inc. and lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte.
