Vice President Duterte's Financial Disclosures Under Scrutiny Amid Impeachment Proceedings
In a significant development during the ongoing impeachment hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte, the Office of the Ombudsman has submitted copies of her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2007 to 2024. The documents reveal a notable pattern: despite a sharp rise in net worth from 2019 to 2024, Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, declared no cash on hand or cash in bank during those years.
Detailed SALN Data Highlights Financial Trends
The submitted SALNs cover periods when Duterte served as vice mayor and mayor of Davao City, and later as the nation's second-highest official. Key figures from the declarations include:
- 2007 to 2012: Net worth ranged from P7.25 million to P22.12 million, with cash deposits reported between P2 million and P4.32 million.
- 2016 to 2018: Net worth increased from P34.90 million to P49.70 million, with cash deposits noted up to P6.37 million.
- 2019 to 2024: Net worth surged from P55.61 million to P88.51 million, but no cash on hand or deposits were declared.
This abrupt absence of declared liquid assets, despite previous reports of cash holdings, has sparked concerns about the completeness and accuracy of the financial disclosures.
Critics Raise Doubts Over Transparency and Integrity
Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima, a known critic of the Dutertes, highlighted the suspicious nature of these omissions. She pointed out that the sudden and consistent lack of cash declarations, coupled with a rapid net worth increase, casts doubt on the veracity of the SALNs. De Lima also noted that from 2021 to 2024, only Carpio declared liabilities, totaling amounts such as P7.5 million and P9.95 million, which she described as potentially indicative of reclassification or circumvention of disclosure rules.
De Lima emphasized, "The rapid and substantial wealth accumulation, without declared liquid assets and with transferred liabilities, raises serious doubts about the transparency and integrity of the Vice President's financial disclosures." Additionally, the SALNs show that real assets remained unchanged in certain periods, such as from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2017, while personal assets stayed steady in 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.
Business Interests and Committee Controversy
The SALNs also detail the couple's business interests in various companies, including Davao Emerging Taipan Corporation and newer ventures like Mati Ice Plant in 2024. However, the impeachment hearings have faced criticism from some quarters. Sagip Party-list Representative Paolo Henry Marcoleta accused the House Committee on Justice of conducting a "fishing expedition," arguing that the SALNs were not included in the original impeachment complaints, thus questioning the basis of the inquiry.
House Justice Committee Chairperson Gerville Luistro defended the subpoena of the SALNs, stating they were sought not to amend the complaints but to ensure a thorough examination. As the hearings continue, these financial disclosures remain central to debates over accountability and governance in the Philippines.
