MANILA — Two properties acquired by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s husband, Manases Carpio, for a combined P9.45 million came under scrutiny Thursday after land registration officials testified that they could not match the properties to specific entries in the Vice President’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
The testimony before the Senate impeachment court strengthened the House prosecution’s presentation of evidence supporting its allegation that Duterte-Carpio failed to fully disclose assets belonging to her and her husband in her sworn wealth declarations.
The Vice President’s defense, however, disputed the prosecution’s interpretation of the records and maintained that the properties were not necessarily omitted from her SALNs.
Davao City Register of Deeds Kathy Florence Baldonado testified that Carpio acquired a 379-square-meter property in Barrio Matina, Davao City, in 2024 for P6 million.
During direct examination by House prosecutor Rep. Keith Flores, Baldonado confirmed that the property did not appear to correspond to an entry in Duterte-Carpio’s 2025 SALN.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who is presiding over the impeachment trial, likewise said he could not find the particular property under the Real Properties section of Duterte-Carpio’s 2025 SALN.
Escudero, however, pointed out a limitation in making a direct comparison between the land records and the SALN, noting that the wealth declaration form does not require public officials to indicate the actual land area of every property they declare.
Duterte-Carpio’s lawyer, Lindol Bacquel, challenged the conclusion that the Matina property had been omitted.
Bacquel argued that the impeachment court should take into account local geographic designations, pointing out that Matina Crossing is also identified as Barangay 74-A — a location listed in Duterte-Carpio’s SALN.
The prosecution also presented land registration records involving a second property acquired by Carpio in Davao del Norte.
Marco Pineda, deputy register of deeds in Samal, testified that Carpio purchased a 751-square-meter parcel in Barangay Matanos in the Island Garden City of Samal in 2018.
Records presented before the impeachment court showed that the property was acquired for P3.45 million.
Pineda said he could not find an entry in Duterte-Carpio’s 2019 SALN corresponding to the property described in Carpio’s 2018 Deed of Absolute Sale.
The two properties have a combined acquisition value of approximately P9.45 million.
House prosecutors are examining Carpio’s properties as part of Duterte-Carpio’s declared wealth, arguing that assets acquired during their marriage are presumed to be conjugal.
Duterte-Carpio and Carpio have jointly filed their SALNs.
The land registration testimony forms part of the prosecution’s effort to substantiate its allegations concerning Duterte-Carpio’s declarations of wealth. The defense has rejected the allegations and objected to the prosecution’s treatment of properties registered in Carpio’s name.
The testimony and land records do not by themselves establish that Duterte-Carpio omitted the properties from her SALNs, an issue that remains for the impeachment court to determine based on the evidence presented by both sides.
The Senate impeachment court continues to hear evidence in the case against the Vice President./PN
