HOUSE Committee on Public Accounts Chair Terry L. Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list on Saturday said lawmakers may seek subpoenas for the income tax returns and business records of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, to explain what he described as a roughly ₱50-million alleged gap between the vice president’s cumulative government salary and her declared net worth.
Ridon, a lawyer and member of the House Committee on Justice, raised the issue during the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City while discussing possible financial records that may be sought by the House Committee on Justice as it continues processing the two remaining impeachment complaints against Duterte.
“We will not limit our subpoena to the SALNs and bank transactions of Vice President Duterte and Atty. Manases Carpio.” Mans Carpio, we will also undertake subpoenas on the income tax returns of the couple, income tax returns, bank returns, and SEC registration of all the businesses that have been listed in the SALN of the Vice President for 2023 and 2024,” Ridon said.
Ridon said the documents are necessary to verify the sources of wealth declared in Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), noting that her declared net worth had increased significantly over the years.
He said Duterte’s SALN showed a net worth of around P7,250,497 in 2007, which rose to P88 million in 2024.
Ridon noted that Duterte’s cumulative salary from government service between 2007 and 2024 would only amount to roughly P30 million to P40 million.
“So, what needs to be explained by the vice president is the gap between P30 million to P40 million and the P88 million net worth that has been submitted in 2024,” Ridon said.
Ridon said the alleged difference—about P50 million—would have to be explained through other lawful income such as earnings from law practice or business interests disclosed in the Vice President’s SALN.
“So, saan po ‘yun mapapaliwanag? Maipapaliwanag po ito doon sa sinasabi po nilang other lawful income, which was taken from what? “His income came from law practice and from the business interests listed in that SALN,” he said.
Therefore, these business interests and professional interests should be responsible for producing the P50 million.
Ridon said verifying those claims would require examining the financial performance of the businesses listed in Duterte’s financial disclosures.
He said that based on their computations, the businesses and professional activities cited as sources of other lawful income should have generated around P200 million to P400 million in revenue over 17 years to account for the roughly P50 million alleged gap between the Vice President’s P30 million to P40 million cumulative salary and her P88 million declared net worth in 2024.
Asked whether the discrepancy could simply be corrected through an amended SALN, Ridon said the issue goes beyond a clerical correction.
“Ibang bagay ‘yung correction, ano? Kasi ‘yung mere correction, for example, you did not disclose it into your SALN. Syempre ibang bagay ‘yan, kasi SALN should actually reflect ‘yun pong actual picture ng iyong wealth,” he said.
“Pero mas mabigat po kasi ‘yung difficulty to explain the gap between the cumulative salary and yung actual stated net worth.”
Ridon said such a discrepancy could raise questions of unexplained wealth if not properly accounted for.
“Kasi ano po ‘yan eh, meron pong presumption, may prima facie showing po ng unexplained wealth eh. Di ba? Pagka that gap is actually not explained,” he said.
He added that the impeachment proceedings will provide Duterte the opportunity to explain the difference.
“So the proceedings in the impeachment will in fact provide the opportunity to the Vice President to actually explain that particular P50 million gap,” Ridon said.
