Vice President Sara Z. Duterte cannot constitutionally serve as the country’s second-highest official while simultaneously maintaining a director position in a private corporation, according to the House prosecution panel.
House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong stated that official corporate records identifying Duterte as an active corporate director support allegations that she breached constitutional limits governing executive officials.
Alonto Adiong pointed to Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, which explicitly prohibits the President, Vice President, and Cabinet members from holding any other office or participating directly or indirectly in any business enterprise during their tenure, requiring them to avoid real or potential conflicts of interest.
“Even without getting into details, that alone is a violation of the Constitution, her being the second highest official in the land,” Alonto Adiong said.
Addressing the Vice President’s declared business holdings in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), Alonto Adiong emphasized that the issue extends beyond simple equity ownership. “Hindi lang siya passive shareholder. She is also one of the directors of one of the companies that she declared in her SALN,” he explained.
The controversy surfaced during the prosecution’s presentation of evidence under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which centers on alleged unexplained wealth and prohibited business affiliations.
Documentary evidence submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed that Duterte remained listed as both a stockholder and a member of the board of directors for Metro City Chow Foods Corp. from 2022 through 2025. Duterte took office as Vice President on June 30, 2022.
According to the company’s Articles of Incorporation, Duterte holds 50,000 of its 250,000 shares, representing a 20 percent stake. SEC General Information Sheets submitted through her vice presidency continued to list her as a board member.
SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario authenticated the filings before the impeachment tribunal. During redirect examination, Del Rosario read from the firm’s financial statements, confirming that its board of directors retained direct responsibility for financial oversight and formally authorized the company’s 2023 and 2024 financial statements in March 2025.
Alonto Adiong maintained that occupying a corporate board seat while holding the vice presidency compromises the public duty expected of high-ranking leaders. “Dapat 100 percent po ’yung attention mo sa iyong opisina at sa pagseserbisyo sa ating taong-bayan,” he said. “Samakatuwid, dapat ’yung tiwala na ’yun ay masuklian ng 100 percent na attention at serbisyo sa taong-bayan.”
Responding to questions on whether the corporate role alone provides sufficient grounds for conviction and removal from office, Alonto Adiong stated that while the evidence supports a constitutional infraction, the final verdict remains in the hands of the Senate impeachment court.
“On that basis alone, I think she has already betrayed [public trust]. But then again, we don’t want to preempt,” Alonto Adiong noted. “It will be the impeachment court who would decide with finality kung ano po ’yung magiging verdict nila. So without preempting the court, whether or not she’s guilty, that’s entirely up to the court.”