MANILA – The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday examined what a lawmaker described as a steady expansion of business interests declared by Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, in their SALNs.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Bernadette Barbers led the review, walking through nearly two decades of filings to track how the couple’s corporate affiliations evolved. She asked the Office of the Ombudsman to verify whether the growing list of declared interests reflected an upward trend.
Ombudsman official Karen Batu confirmed that the entries read during the hearing were consistent with the records on file, but emphasized that their office does not draw conclusions beyond verifying what is declared.
The review showed that the couple initially listed three companies in 2007, a number that remained unchanged through 2009. By 2010, additional firms began appearing, signaling the start of a broader portfolio.
The list continued to expand in the following years. By 2016, eight business interests and financial connections were already declared, reflecting a more diversified range of corporate ties.
From 2017 to 2020, several companies repeatedly appeared in the filings, suggesting continuity in their business engagements. New additions were again recorded in 2021 and 2022, maintaining the total at eight but introducing different entities, including firms in food, legal services, and fisheries.
A more significant increase was noted in 2023, when the number of declared interests rose to 11, spanning multiple industries. In 2024, the total slightly decreased to 10, but still reflected a wide array of business connections.
Throughout the hearing, Batu confirmed each set of entries cited by Barbers as accurate based on the submitted SALNs.
Barbers said the pattern raises broader questions that lawmakers intend to explore, particularly how the increase in declared business interests aligns with the couple’s reported income, assets, and net worth.
She stressed the need to understand the context behind the expansion, including whether it corresponds with growth in their overall wealth.
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