House prosecutors reached a key milestone in their unexplained wealth case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, completing the presentation of 18 years’ worth of her asset declarations before the Senate impeachment court, a dataset they plan to cross-examine using bank records, tax filings, and corporate documents.
Rep. Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro Party-list, a member of the prosecution panel, shared his satisfaction with the proceedings during a press conference.
“Katulad ng sinabi ko, pasok sa banga, shoot sa banga, three points,” Ridon said. “So we are very happy na nakumpleto po namin ’yung pagsasalang ng ebidensya ngayon sa pamamagitan po ng Office of the Ombudsman.”
The financial timeline was formally introduced by lawyer Karen Batu, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Central Records Division. She walked the court through Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) spanning from 2007, when Duterte first took office as Davao City vice mayor, up to 2025.
According to the filed documents, Duterte’s net worth rose from P7.25 million in 2007 to P98.66 million in 2025, an overall jump of approximately P91.4 million. Batu’s testimony also detailed the various corporate entities and commercial ties disclosed over the years by Duterte and her husband, attorney Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Ridon emphasized that securing the documentation through 2025 establishes a crucial reference point for the prosecution’s upcoming evidence, noting that the most recent asset declaration had not been available during earlier hearings in the Lower House.
“’Yung 2025 po ’yung pinakabago, kasi wala po ito noong House proceedings, eh. So naipasok po ito dito po sa paglilitis na ito,” Ridon explained.
Moving forward, the prosecution intends to evaluate the sworn declarations against subpoenaed financial records, including filings from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Securities and Exchange Commission, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Philippine National Police Firearms Division, and various banking institutions. Special scrutiny will be placed on the 2022–2025 period covering Duterte’s term as vice president.
“’Yung pong pagpasok ng lahat ng SALNs ay very important dahil dito po ibabangga lahat na po ng iba pang mga ebidensya moving forward,” Ridon said.
Echoing this strategy, former representative Ace Barbers, serving as adviser and spokesperson for the House team, underscored the importance of establishing a solid baseline to evaluate the charge of unexplained wealth.
“Bakit importante ito? Ito ay para ilagay sa tamang konteksto ang allegations dito sa article na ito, na kung saan ay ina-allege ng prosecution na merong unexplained wealth,” Barbers said. “Kaya very clear na ito ’yung baseline na dapat nakikita natin para maintindihan din ng ating mga kababayan.”
Prosecution counsel and spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. pointed out that while asset growth alone is not evidence of wrongdoing, the filed SALNs represent only half of the picture until measured against verified income sources.
“Again, walang masama na tumaas ang yaman, pero kailangan ang mga lingkod-bayan natin, mapakita nila na galing ’yan sa lehitimong mga pinanggalingan or sources,” Tolosa noted.
Duterte faces charges of accumulating unexplained wealth and submitting false or incomplete asset disclosures under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment. The prosecution’s presentation of evidence for this charge remains ongoing.