VP Sara Duterte Trial Day 37: ₱817.87M in alleged undeclared wealth; lawyers clash over records

CABRERA CITES ₱817.87M IN ALLEGED UNDECLARED ASSETS; PROSECUTION, DEFENSE CLASH OVER RECORDS

#VPSaraOnTrial Day 37 RECAP: House prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno shared a report from forensic financial analyst Atty. Alexander Cabrera. The report claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, had ₱817.87 million in alleged undeclared income and assets from 2022 to 2025. It raised doubts about the accuracy of Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), pointing to significant assets that were supposedly not declared and her ongoing involvement in businesses while serving as vice president. The findings were based on a limited set of documents and did not include records held by Duterte and Carpio.

The presentation sparked exchanges between the prosecution and defense over whether financial records should remain confidential and whether the report’s findings should be called "alleged" before Cabrera was cross-examined. Defense counsel Sheila Sison said the trial should focus on facts, not rhetoric, while defense lawyer Kristine Ferrer questioned the use of the term “prima facie fraud.” Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo also asked why Duterte and Carpio’s legal team did not address the Constitution’s rules on the vice president holding another job. Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero also joked about the BIR’s tax collection during the witness questioning.

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