VP Sara’s business deals next at trial

MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutors are expected to focus on conflict of interest arising from Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged businesses as the impeachment trial resumes today.

Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro named Civil Service Commission Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo, Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department director Gerardo del Rosario and Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System Division chief Rendell Sopeña as their witnesses this week.

The prosecution panel is moving beyond Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), which were presented last week through the Office of the Ombudsman, to independent corporate and government records.

The prosecutors are now presenting evidence on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth (Article II), which reportedly reached P6.7 billion over the years, raising questions about how she and her husband Manases Carpio managed to amass the amount.

Ronquillo is expected to testify on the rules governing the preparation and filing of SALNs, including guidelines he helped draft. Del Rosario, on the other hand, will authenticate SEC records involving companies in which Duterte declared business interests.

The SEC official’s testimony was deferred last week because of the volume of corporate records involved. The SEC records will build on the testimony of lawyer Karen Batu, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Central Records Division.

Davao businesses

House prosecution adviser and spokesman Robert Ace Barbers has raised a possible conflict of interest over Davao City government transactions with Gencorp Industries Inc., a company in which Duterte, the former mayor, purportedly declared a business interest.

“There is a clear conflict of interest from the surface, we know it,” Barbers said.

Gencorp is among the companies appearing in Duterte’s SALNs. Ombudsman SALN custodian Batu testified earlier in the trial and identified Gencorp as among the business interests and financial connections allegedly declared by the VP.

Reports cited by the prosecution show about P14.32 million in alleged transactions involving Gencorp and the Davao City government from 2022 to 2025.

The amount formed part of approximately P15.02 million in alleged government transactions involving the company, including P696,829 from the PhilHealth regional office in Davao.

The alleged transactions took place while Sebastian Duterte, the Vice President’s brother, was Davao City mayor.