Duterte-Carpio's purchases questioned as SALN shows no cash declaration

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The credit card purchases of Atty. Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, raised suspicion because the couple did not declare any cash on hand or in the bank in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth from 2019 to 2025, the House prosecution team said.

Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa made the position after the presentation of defense witnesses Anel Antero and Chad Parian, who testified on the credit card purchases of Carpio, worth over P200,000.

Antero testified that he partly reimbursed Carpio for the P200,000 meal they ate with a group at Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, while Parian said that Carpio paid for over P256,000 worth of shoes for the children of Elite Basketball team and their parents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The single-transaction credit card purchases were part of the financial forensic report earlier made by accountant-lawyer Alex Cabrera, a witness for the prosecution.

“Kapani-paniwala ba na ang isang tao na wala siyang dineklara na cash on hand or cash in bank pero merong milyon-milyong lumalabas sa bank accounts at kayang bumili, sa isang gastusan, ng P250,000 worth of shoes?” Tolosa said in a press conference.

(Should we believe that a person who did not declare any cash on hand or in bank has millions in bank deposits and could purchase P250,000 worth of shoes in one transaction?)

“Yun lang naman ho yung issue. Hindi naman po sinasabi na huwag mong supportahan yung anak mo sa sports. Wala naman hong sinabing ganyan ang prosecution,” Tolosa added.

(That is the only issue here. The prosecution is not saying that parents should not support their child in sports. We are not saying that.)

Tolosa did not name names, but senator-judge Pia Cayetano called out the prosecution for asking Parian about the P256,000 worth of rubber shoes.

Private prosecutor Rey Robles also asked Parian if such a purchase by Carpio is compliant with the Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees, which states that “public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form."

“Prosecution, I’m warning you. I will not hide my disdain. I will not. I cannot,” Cayetano said of Robles’ questioning.

“Is it the prosecution’s intention to make a parent relinquish their parental duty in terms of rearing their child in the manner they feel is the best to promote character, leadership, teamwork just because one of the parents becomes a public official?” Cayetano added.—LDF, GMA News