Resto in 'residential' land? Defense witness' answer draws senator-judge's ire

Davao City Assessor Jaime Adalin testifies as the first defense witness in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial at the Senate in Pasay City on Nov. 9, 2026.

The STAR / Ryan Baldemor

MANILA, Philippines — Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo accused Vice President Sara Duterte's first defense witness of "lying through his teeth" Monday, November 9 after he sought to explain why a property declared as residential could be a restaurant.

Davao City Assessor Jaime Adalin was questioned about a property marked "910" on the city's property identification map that is occupied by Prime Bistro, a commercial establishment.

Adalin testified that the property covered by a Transfer Certificate of Title ending in 775 was the same property declared in Duterte's Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

The vice president's SALN describes the property as a "residential lot," but the actual property is occupied by the restaurant.

Asked about the apparent discrepancy, Adalin said a building may appear commercial while actually being used for residential purposes.

"There are times na commercial ang building pero ang gamit is residential," Adalin said. ("There are times when a building is commercial but its use is residential.")

The explanation drew a sharp response from Tulfo.

"Nakalagay na nga 'yung Prime Bistro, commercial 'yun... Sabi niya commercial pero ginagamit residential. He's lying through his teeth na lumilitaw na para bang pinagloloko tayo," Tulfo said. ("It's clearly stated that Prime Bistro is commercial... He said it was commercial, but it's being used as residential. He's lying through his teeth, making it look as though he's taking us for fools.")

"So naglagay ka ng dining, naglagay ka ng karatula para tutulugan mo lang? Parang 'yun ang pinapalabas nitong witness," he added. ("So you set up a dining area, you put up a sign, just so you could sleep there? That seems to be what this witness is implying.")

Property in question

Prime Bistro is a Davao City restaurant on a property registered under Duterte's husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

The National Bureau of Investigation previously cited the property among assets it was examining for alleged discrepancies in the couple's SALN declarations.

Records presented during the impeachment trial show that the property includes land with an assessed value of about P82,000 and a separate building. Tax declarations placed the combined market value of the land and building at roughly P9 million, while Duterte's SALN listed an acquisition cost of P10 million.

Adalin was called by the defense to testify about tax declarations and tax maps involving the Matina Crossing property and to support its position that the property had been disclosed in Duterte's SALN.

Article II, the sole remaining impeachment charge against Duterte, accuses her of amassing unexplained wealth, failing to fully and truthfully disclose her and her husband's assets in her SALNs, including those for 2022 to 2024, and failing to divest from business interests while serving as vice president from 2022 to 2025.