MANILA – The House prosecution panel is preparing to question defense witnesses about mansions and other properties allegedly linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her family when her impeachment trial resumes on Nov. 9.
At a press briefing on Monday, House prosecutor Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro party-list said the properties could figure in cross-examinations as the defense responds to allegations of PHP800 million to PHP1.5 billion in unexplained wealth.
“Isa po sa mga pinaghahandaan po namin, ‘yung aktwal na paglalatag on cross-examination ng mga mansion at pag-aari ng mga Duterte (One of the things we are preparing for is the actual presentation of the mansions and other Duterte properties during cross-examination),” Ridon said.
He said the properties included those allegedly linked to Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte and others identified by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as belonging to the vice president.
Ridon acknowledged that Duterte had denied owning some of the properties.
He said NBI Director Melvin Matibag had maintained that investigators verified property records with the Land Registration Authority and conducted site inspections.
“So, in the event that defense witnesses will be presented who can actually speak the truth or clarify on the question of the mansions, the prosecution panel will ask it to them completely,” Ridon said.
The NBI earlier presented information on properties allegedly linked to the Duterte family, including mansions in Davao City and a resort on Samal Island.
Ridon said the prosecution would use cross-examination to seek clarification on the disputed properties and their ownership.
Meanwhile, Ridon said Duterte might claim she was unaware of financial transactions involving her father and husband.
He, however, expressed doubt that such an explanation would sufficiently address the prosecution’s allegations of unexplained wealth.
“I think ‘yung magiging defense po doon ay hindi niya po alam ‘yun pong lahat po ng mga financial transactions, una ng kanyang ama at ng kanya pong asawa (Her defense will likely be that she was unaware of all the financial transactions involving, first, her father and then her husband). But again, I don’t think that is a defense,” Ridon said.
During the trial, the House prosecution presented records of financial transactions involving Duterte, her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) earlier identified PHP4.4 billion in aggregate covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte and Carpio from 2007 to 2025.
AMLC records also showed transactions involving joint accounts held by Duterte and her father, including seven transfers totaling PHP193.71 million on March 28, 2014.
Forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera subsequently estimated that Duterte and Carpio had PHP817.87 million in allegedly unexplained wealth from 2022 to 2025, based on available bank, tax, insurance and corporate records.
Cabrera said the amount could reach PHP1.5 billion under a broader computation, subject to adjustments for liabilities and other factors.
The defense has disputed the prosecution’s findings and questioned aspects of Cabrera’s analysis.
Ridon said the prosecution would wait to see how Duterte’s lawyers would explain the financial transactions when the defense begins presenting its evidence.
“So tingnan po natin kung paano po nila ipapaliwanag ’yon (Let’s see how they will explain that),” he said.
The prosecution has rested its case on Article II, the sole remaining impeachment charge, which concerns alleged unexplained wealth and discrepancies in Duterte’s financial declarations. (Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA)
