By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte reported zero cash on hand or in bank in each of her SALNs from 2019 through 2025, an Ombudsman records officer testified Tuesday before the Senate impeachment court, placing the Vice President’s sworn financial declarations under intense scrutiny in the proceedings on Article II.
Karen Batu, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Central Records Division, confirmed the entries as House prosecution counsel James Bryan Ibrahim Alih methodically went through Duterte’s SALNs during direct examination.
Batu first confirmed that Duterte declared no cash on hand or in bank in her 2019 SALN.
The same was true for 2020, she testified.
When Alih asked whether the pattern continued after 2020, Batu reviewed the succeeding records and gave the same answer.
For 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, she testified, Duterte likewise had no declared cash on hand or in bank.
The testimony drew attention because Duterte’s earlier SALNs showed substantial cash declarations during her years in elective office in Davao City.
Batu testified that Duterte declared P2 million in 2007 and 2008; P2.8 million in 2009; P3,661,622 in 2010; P3,931,125.80 in 2011; P4,320,532 in 2012; P3,750,760 in 2016; P6,368,596 in 2017; and P3,795,000 in 2018.
Duterte was Davao City vice mayor in 2007 before later serving as mayor.
Her SALNs submitted to the House during the impeachment proceedings also showed her declared net worth increasing from more than P7 million in 2007 to P88.5 million in 2024.
The prosecution also focused on Duterte’s repeated declarations of business interests without corresponding declarations of shares of stock or acquisition costs.
Batu testified that Duterte’s 2007 SALN listed three business interests — Davao Emerging Taipan Corp., Davao Bounty Times Food Corp., and City Hall King Chow Foods Corp. — with Duterte identified as a stockholder.
But when asked what stocks or acquisition costs were declared, Batu said there were none.
In 2008, Duterte reported “stocks, equity paid,” but Batu said her 2009 SALN again contained no declared stocks.
The prosecution then traced the entries across Duterte’s succeeding SALNs.
For 2010 to 2012, Batu testified that several business interests were listed but without declared shares of stock or acquisition costs.
The same pattern was cited in her 2016 to 2018 SALNs.
“Based on the records po ng tatlong SALNs, wala pong nakalagay na shares of stocks si VP Sara,” Batu told the court, adding that there was likewise no declared acquisition cost.
The prosecution said the absence of declared shares and acquisition costs continued in Duterte’s 2019, 2020 and 2021 SALNs.
The issue also surfaced in Duterte’s SALNs after she became vice president.
Her 2022 SALN listed business interests including Davao New Royal Taipan Corp., Metro City Chow Foods Corp., Timesquare Bee Foods Corp., and Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines, Inc., Batu testified.
Additional business interests appeared in subsequent declarations.
Yet Duterte’s 2024 and 2025 SALNs still contained no declared shares of stock corresponding to the listed business interests, according to Batu.
The two SALNs also contained no stated acquisition costs for those interests.
The testimony came a day after retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang explained to the impeachment court the legal framework governing SALNs, including the requirement to disclose personal properties such as investments and shares of stock together with their acquisition cost.
The House prosecution is using Duterte’s SALNs from 2007 through 2025 to determine whether her sworn declarations fully disclosed her financial interests and whether the entries are consistent with corporate and other financial records that prosecutors intend to present under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment.
For the impeachment court, the question now moves beyond what Duterte declared — and toward whether what was left undeclared should have appeared in her sworn financial statements.
ia/xf
