Was police official’s testimony on Sara Duterte’s firearms a ‘waste of time’?

WITNESS. Police Major Joericson Sangalang, chief of the Records Division of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office testifies on Day 30 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on September 28, 2026.

Senate Social Media Unit

On Day 30 of the impeachment trial, a senator-judge questions the relevance of a police official’s testimony on the firearms owned by Duterte and her husband, Mans Carpio, to the unexplained wealth allegations against the Vice President

AT A GLANCE

• Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo criticized the relevance of a police official's testimony regarding Vice President Sara Duterte's firearms, suggesting it was a waste of time during the impeachment trial.
• Other senator-judges echoed concerns that if the firearms were properly declared in Duterte's Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), there would be no violation.
• The discussion also touched on proposals to review the country's gun ownership law.

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Did the House prosecution panel waste the Senate impeachment court’s time during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte? 

On Day 30 of the impeachment trial, a senator-judge questioned the relevance of a police official’s testimony on the firearms owned by Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, to the allegations of unexplained wealth against the Vice President. 

Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo said the testimony of Police Major Joericson Sangalang of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO) was a “waste of time,” arguing that firearms are assets that could be declared as personal property in Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

Tulfo also said he had made a sample computation of the value of Duterte’s firearms and found that the total remained well within her declared net worth.

“Sorry, but for me, this is a waste of time. We could have done a lot more things than presenting the witness. We could have called for session and passed more bills. For me, this witness is irrelevant to the allegations,” said Tulfo. 

Sangalang was called to testify on official PNP-FEO records on the firearms registered to Duterte and Carpio.

Other senator-judges, including Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, expressed similar concern, saying he believes Duterte did not commit any violation if the firearms were properly declared in her SALN. 

Presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero allowed the House prosecution panel to proceed with its direct examination.

In his testimony, Sangalang said the couple owned 51 firearms with a combined value of around P7.2 million based on current market prices. These included high-powered pistols, rifles, and shotguns, some worth more than P100,000 each.

In 2024, Rappler reported that the Duterte family owned 654 firearms, 28 of which were registered to the Vice President.

“We were objecting on its relevance. That has always been our position…which was also, I guess, voiced out by some of our senator-judges,” defense counsel Michael Poa said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

“But, you know, the PNP-FEO officer was still allowed to present, so we will leave it up to the senator-judges how they will assess the presentation, specifically the market value, because for us, it was irrelevant,” Poa said.

Section 34 of the 2025 Omnibus Rules on the SALN requires the individual declaration of registered personal property, including motor vehicles, boats, aircraft, and firearms. Defense counsel Carlo Joaquin Narvasa, however, argued the provision only applies to 2026 SALNs onwards.

Revisit gun ownership law

The exchange prompted Tulfo to call for a review of the country’s gun ownership laws, particularly the absence of a  limit on the firearms a person may legally own. He also urged government personnel to itemize the declaration of their firearms in SALNs.

“I did not know that a private citizen may own as many firearms that they can…. Perhaps, this is something that lawmakers may revisit,” Tulfo said.

“Maybe we can put a limit on this, otherwise, a person may buy and create an armory. He may also hire goods and use them during elections to establish a private army,” he said.

Zubiri agreed that the law could be revisited but clarified that private armies typically use unlicensed firearms. He also said the existing gun ownership law is “sufficient,” although legislators could consider stricter provisions on the safekeeping of firearms in light of recent school shootings.

“Let’s amend the law to make it stricter on the safekeeping of the firearms,” Zubiri said.

The prosecution, for its part, defended the presentation of Sangalang as a witness. Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said in an interview with Rappler that the issue is not the P7-million value of the firearms but a possible pattern of undeclared assets. This, the prosecution said, is relevant to the unexplained wealth allegation against the Vice President.