House prosecutors said Tuesday that bank records they are presenting to the Senate impeachment court could show a substantial gap between Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s declared assets and year-end bank balances involving her and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.
House prosecution spokesperson Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the alleged discrepancy could indicate deliberate concealment of cash assets.
“It only means one thing para sa akin: there’s a clear, deliberate concealment of supposed assets that they have as far as cash is concerned,” Adiong said during a post-trial press briefing.
The prosecution told the impeachment court that records from eight banks are expected to establish at least 30 active accounts involving Duterte and Carpio, with cumulative year-end balances exceeding P190 million from 2022 to 2025.
The figures represent the balances at the end of each year and do not mean that P190 million was held simultaneously.
Based on the prosecution’s offer, the accounts had combined year-end balances of more than P59 million in 2022, P71 million in 2023, P22 million in 2024 and P35 million in 2025.
Adiong said the alleged discrepancy would remain even if cash assets were included under the “other” category of personal properties in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), as the defense has maintained.
“Kasi klaro ’yun. Maski sabihin natin na ni-lump nila doon sa ‘others,’ eh hindi pa rin tumutugma doon sa mga ibibigay o ipapasiwalat ng prosecution, which is amounting to P190 million,” he said.
House prosecutor Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said Duterte’s SALNs from 2022 to 2025 did not separately identify cash on hand or cash in banks.
“Well, unang-una, kung maaalala ninyo, noong prinisinta ’yung kanyang SALN ng ating Vice President sa taong 2022, ’23, ’24, ’25, wala po siyang dineklarang cash on hand at saka cash in bank,” Chua said.
Chua cited the 2022 SALN as an example, saying Carpio declared P8.075 million under “other personal properties,” while Duterte declared P2.25 million and P3 million under the same category.
The three declarations amounted to P13.325 million, according to Chua.
The prosecution expects the bank records to establish more than P59 million in combined year-end balances for 2022.
“So kahit na ano pong mathematical computation po ’yung gawin natin, parang hindi po yata nagtutugma dito po sa SALN,” Chua said.
House prosecution spokesperson and counsel Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said prosecutors would compare the complete year-end bank balances with the amounts declared in Duterte’s SALNs, regardless of whether the defense argues that cash was already included under other personal assets.
“Ngayon, kahit i-consider na natin na ipinasok ’yan doon sa mga personal assets at hindi ’yan dineklara separately, so doon na papasok ’yung titignan natin ngayon: magkano ba ’yung kabuuan na makikita natin na bank balances per each year versus ano ’yung nakadeklara sa SALN,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa said prosecutors would complete the presentation of records from the other banks to establish the total year-end balances for each year and compare them with Duterte’s sworn declarations.
Adiong said the alleged discrepancy is central to Article II of the impeachment case, which includes allegations involving unexplained wealth and inconsistencies in Duterte’s financial disclosures.
“Kung hindi tutugma sa SALN, that’s already a very clear case of unexplained wealth,” he said.
The prosecution has begun presenting representatives from 13 banks to establish the financial records before the Senate impeachment court.
The alleged discrepancies remain part of the prosecution’s case and will be subject to the impeachment court’s evaluation of the evidence and the defense’s response.
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