Samal City assessor unsure if Mans Carpio property listed in Sara Duterte's joint SALN

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A defense witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte said Tuesday he was unsure if the Samal property acquired by the latter's husband in 2013 was the same property declared in their joint Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) from 2015 onwards.

Engineer John Kenneth Enumerables, assessor of the Island Garden City of Samal, made the response when asked by private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa, Jr. during the cross examination on Day 41 of Duterte's impeachment trial.

Tolosa asked Enumerables if the Samal property under the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) 142-2019013134 is the same property indicated in the Vice President's SALN, to which Enumerables replied, "I'm not certain, Sir."

At the same time, Enumerables confirmed before the Senate impeachment court that the acquisition cost of the said Samal property as stated in the Deed of Sale is P3.45 million, not P4.04 million as stated in the joint SALN of the Vice President and her husband, lawyer Manases "Mans" Carpio.

Asked by Tolosa if the Samal property under the said TCT 142-2019013134 did not contain an annotation of contract to sell, Enumerables answered, "Correct, Sir."

Before making this statement, Enumerables said the Samal property, as indicated in the TCT 142-201901334, is the same property listed in the vice president's SALN "based on market value and assessed value" worth P346,960 and P4.9 million, respectively.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero asked Enumerables if the latter has other basis for concluding that the Samal property listed in the SALN and under TCT 142-201901334 are one and the same, instead of comparing it with the market value and assessed value.

Enumerables said he does not have any.

READ: Who is defense witness Engineer John Kenneth Enumerables?

"Wala po, your honor. Kasi hindi po nakalagay ang title number," Enumerables said.

(I don't have anything other than that. Because the title number is not indicated [in the SALN].)

Escudero said Enumerables' answer was understandable because the SALN does not require the title number anyway.

The prosecution argues that the said P3.4-million Samal property as indicated in the Deed of Sale was not declared by Duterte in her SALN.

The defense, however, contends that P4.04-million Samal property indicated in the SALN of the Vice President is one and the same with the P3.4-million Samal property being referred to by the prosecution.

The impeachment case against the Vice President rests solely on Article 2, which pertain to betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for accumulating unexplained wealth of P817 million to as much as P1.5 billion due to non-full declaration of assets and non-divestment of business. — VDV, GMA News