MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday stressed that no one is above the law amid questions over Vice President Sara Duterte’s continued corporate interests while in office, saying government officials must comply with existing laws and constitutional provisions.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records presented during Duterte’s impeachment trial showed that she remained a director and shareholder of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. after assuming the vice presidency in 2022.
“May batas po. Maliwanag ang batas. So, kung ano po iyong nasa batas iyon lang dapat po ang sundin, iyon ang dapat na ipatupad at hindi po kinakailangan na ang isang tao ay maging above the law (There is a law. The law is clear. Whatever is provided by the law should be followed and enforced, and it is not necessary for a person to be above the law),” Castro said in a Palace briefing.
She also rejected the notion of impunity, saying officials should simply comply with what the law requires.
“Hindi po dapat pinapairal iyong salitang impunity. So, kung ano lang po iyong sa batas dapat tuparin (Impunity cannot be invoked here. Whatever the law says must be followed),” she added.
The issue arose after SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario testified before the Senate impeachment court on Monday that Duterte remained listed as a member of Metro City Chow Foods’ board of directors in its General Information Sheets from 2022 through 2025.
SEC records also showed that Duterte held a 20-percent stake in the company, and that she was among its incorporators when it was established in 2016 and had served on its board since 2018.
Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution prohibits the President, Vice President, Cabinet members and their deputies or assistants, during their tenure, from directly or indirectly participating in any business, among other restrictions.
Asked whether Malacañang was also surprised that Duterte, a lawyer, had not been advised to divest from her business interests, Castro declined to comment.
“Hindi na po kami magkokomento diyan. Si VP Sara naman ay malaki na at hindi na dapat binibigyan ng anumang advice, alam niya na po ang kanyang ginagawa (We will not comment on that. Vice President Sara is an adult and should no longer need to be given advice; she knows what she is doing),” Castro said. (PNA)