(Screenshot from Senate livestream)
MANILA – House prosecutors said Wednesday that testimony from Vice President Sara Duterte’s own defense witness strengthened their unexplained wealth case after she confirmed that the Vice President received more than Php 2.14 million from GenCorp Industries Inc. between 2022 and 2025.
During a press conference following the testimony of lawyer Suzette Balucanag-Punay, House prosecutor Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua questioned the witness’s statements about Duterte’s financial ties to the corporation.
“Akala ko nga testigo namin yun,” Chua said, adding that Punay appeared confused by her own testimony.
House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong also welcomed the disclosure, saying it reinforced the prosecution’s case.
“So, the word that I would probably use is maraming salamat at mas pinatatag niyo po ang aming kaso,” Adiong said.
Punay, corporate counsel for GenCorp and Metro City Chow Foods Corporation, maintained that Duterte had no shares in GenCorp but acknowledged that she held a separate investment in the Jollibee Times Square branch in Davao City.
The witness described the payments as a “return of capital” from Duterte’s earlier investment, which was allegedly carried over from a previous operator to GenCorp.
Based on the company’s transaction summary, Punay confirmed that Duterte received Php 337,500 in 2022, Php 555,750 in 2023, Php 612,419.14 in 2024 and Php 636,700 in 2025, totaling Php 2,142,369.14.
The disclosure came as the defense sought to challenge Table 39 of forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera’s report, which examined financial transactions linked to Duterte.
Punay presented GenCorp’s disbursement records to dispute the amounts attributed to the Vice President and maintained that the payments represented capital returned from her investment in the Times Square branch.
However, prosecutors argued that her testimony confirmed a financial connection between Duterte and the corporation that required further explanation.
Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero also scrutinized the transactions, questioning the recurring monthly payments recorded in 2023 and 2025 and the absence of entries from January to April 2024.
Punay acknowledged that the records provided by GenCorp’s accountant contained months without recorded disbursements.
She also testified that the payments were issued through checks drawn from the Jollibee Times Square branch’s bank account.
The testimony formed part of the defense’s presentation of evidence against the remaining impeachment charge involving allegations of unexplained wealth.
While the witness maintained that Duterte was not a GenCorp shareholder, prosecutors said the confirmed payments strengthened their position that the Vice President’s financial transactions warranted further scrutiny.
