Vice President Sara Duterte did not declare any cash and bank deposits in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) from 2019 to 2024, according to documents presented during a House hearing on Wednesday.
Lawmakers highlighted the disclosure as the House Committee on Justice intensified its examination of Duterte’s financial records in connection with the impeachment proceedings.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua reviewed Duterte’s declared net worth from 2007 to 2012 and 2016 to 2024 using records from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Vice President filed her SALNs jointly with her husband, Manases Carpio.
The documents showed that Duterte declared no cash and bank deposits from 2019 to 2021 during her final years as Davao City mayor and from 2022 to 2024 during her early years as Vice President, despite declaring such assets in earlier filings.
Her net worth reached P88,512,370.22 in 2024.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the proceedings have shifted focus to official records, marking a transition away from testimonial evidence.
“Today, we expect further evidence, from the Office of the Ombudsman, from the BIR, from the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), and especially from the AMLC,” Luistro said.
She said the panel would now rely on document-based analysis, emphasizing that the inquiry would test discrepancies using financial records rather than narratives.
“And numbers, unlike people, do not have motives. Numbers do not lie,” she said.
Lawmakers also examined the growth of Duterte’s declared business interests, which expanded from three companies in 2007 to 10 in 2024, peaking at 11 in 2023.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Bernadette Barbers led a year-by-year review of the SALN filings, pointing to the increasing number of listed corporate affiliations.
An official from the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed that the records reflected what had been declared in each filing but did not offer conclusions on the trend.
Some members of the panel raised concerns over the scope of the inquiry. SAGIP party-list Rep. Paolo Henry Marcoleta questioned the inclusion of SALNs, saying these were not part of the original complaints and arguing that their use could indicate a “fishing expedition.”
Duterte faces possible impeachment over allegations that include misuse of confidential funds, supposed threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and claims of unexplained wealth and failure to fully disclose assets in her SALNs.
Image courtesy of Inday Sara Duterte / Facebook
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