MANILA, Philippines — Prosecution counsel Amando Ligutan pressed defense witness Atty. Anel Martin Antero over a restaurant bill exceeding P200,000 during a vacation in Japan with Atty. Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, questioning the witness’s surprise at the amount and his inability to produce photographs of the meal.
During the impeachment trial on Thursday, November 12, Ligutan asked Antero why he was surprised by the cost of a single meal shared by 11 people.
“Ano po ‘yung nakakagulat in spending P200,000 for a single meal?” Ligutan asked.
“Nagulat po ako personally dahil hindi naman namin ine-expect na gano’n kamahal ‘yung babayaran po namin,” Antero replied.
Antero testified that the group ordered tempura and seafood at a restaurant in Tokyo, resulting in a bill of more than P200,000. However, when questioned about supporting evidence, he said he could not provide photographs to substantiate his account of the dinner.
Earlier, Antero explained that Carpio’s credit card was used to settle the P205,007.29 bill because some members of the group had run out of cash. He claimed that the other diners subsequently reimbursed Carpio for their respective expenses.
The prosecution’s questioning focused on the credibility of Antero’s explanation and the circumstances surrounding the substantial credit card transaction.
The defense presented Antero to explain the charge as part of its effort to address financial transactions being examined in Duterte’s impeachment proceedings.
The absence of photographs does not, by itself, disprove the witness’s account. The impeachment court has yet to determine the evidentiary weight of his testimony.
Photo Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines
