A key witness from the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed before the Senate Impeachment Court on Tuesday that Vice President Sara Z. Duterte reported no cash holdings in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for seven straight years, spanning 2019 to 2025.
Testifying under oath, Atty. Karen Batu, officer-in-charge of the Central Records Division of the Office of the Ombudsman, detailed the financial filings under direct examination by House prosecution panel counsel James Bryan Ibrahim Alin.
When questioned about the Vice President’s 2019 submission, Batu affirmed the absence of liquid assets. “Wala pong dineclare na cash on hand or in bank (for that year),” she told the court, referencing the official SALN records.
Prosecution counsel then asked the witness to verify whether the trend continued in subsequent annual disclosures through 2025. After reviewing the official documents, Batu confirmed the pattern. “For 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, wala pong nasa-declare na cash on hand and in bank,” she replied.
The testimony highlighted a stark contrast with Duterte’s earlier disclosures during her tenure in Davao City local government, when she consistently reported millions of pesos in liquid funds.
According to Batu’s account of earlier filings, Duterte declared P2 million in cash in 2007, P2 million in 2008, P2.8 million in 2009, P3,661,622 in 2010, P3,931,125.80 in 2011, and P4,320,532 in 2012 while serving as Davao City Vice Mayor and Mayor. Following a break from public office, her cash declarations resumed at P3,750,760 in 2016, peak level of P6,368,596 in 2017, and P3,795,000 in 2018 before dropping to zero in subsequent filings.
Despite the omission of cash on hand or in bank accounts from 2019 onward, documents submitted by prosecutors during House impeachment proceedings show that Duterte’s overall net worth continued to climb substantially, rising from just over P7 million in 2007 to P88.5 million by 2024.