Private prosecutor Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines
THE House prosecution panel on Tuesday presented Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s own sworn financial records as part of its effort to establish alleged inconsistencies in her cash disclosures and her continued ownership of business interests while serving as vice president.
Private prosecutor Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih presented 10 offers of proof for the testimony of Ombudsman records official Atty. Karen Batu before the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday. Among them was evidence tracing the growth of Duterte and her husband’s declared net worth to nearly ₱98.7 million by 2025.
Alih’s offer covered Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALNs, for 2007-2012 and 2016-2025. He read the purposes as they were shown on screen, identifying the sworn declarations and the official records held by the Ombudsman as the basis of the proposed testimony.
He first sought to establish Batu’s position, saying she “is the officer in charge of the Records Division of the Office of the Ombudsman and has been serving in such capacity since December 2025.”
The second purpose concerned the Ombudsman’s role as the official repository of SALNs of constitutional, national and local elective officials, including Duterte’s filings for the specified years.
Defense counsel Atty. Justin Gular said the defense was willing to agree to the first purpose, concerning Batu’s position. He requested a correction to the second: SALNs of regional and local elective officials are kept by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman in their respective regions.
Alih also offered Batu to identify the SALNs and establish their authenticity. He said one purpose was to “authenticate the certified true copies of the SALNs involving those years that I’ve mentioned.” His final listed purpose covered other material allegations in the Articles of Impeachment.
On the financial figures, Alih said the prosecution would establish the declared net worth and its components, including cash and other personal properties. Net worth is the value of the declared assets after subtracting liabilities, or debts listed in the same declaration. His comparison covered the declarations of Duterte and her spouse, Atty. Manases Carpio, in 2007, 2021 and 2025.
He said their declared net worth “increased from 7,250,497 pesos in 2007 to 65,308,841 in 2021 and later to 98,656,131.20 in 2025 or an increase of around 91 million from 2007.”
Alih then identified the alleged absence of cash declarations over seven consecutive years as a separate purpose. The prosecution proposed comparing those filings with the earlier SALNs in which Duterte had reported cash on hand or cash in bank.
“To prove that the vice president did not declare any cash on hand or cash in bank in her SALNs for the years 2019 to 2025, after making cash declarations in her 2007 to 2012, and 2016 to 2018 SALNs,” he said.
The offer also addressed foreign-currency disclosures. Citing the official records of the Ombudsman, Alih said the prosecution sought to establish that “the vice president’s SALNs contain no declaration of any foreign currency deposits.” He specifically mentioned US dollars, Chinese RMB and other foreign currencies.
On shares, Alih said Duterte had declared under oath that she, her husband, or both held various business and financial interests. The prosecution sought to establish that those entries did not include the ownership of shares of stock and their corresponding acquisition cost or value.
He said they “have various business and financial interests but failed to declare their ownership of the shares of stock,” identifying the share disclosures as another subject for Batu’s presentation.
These were the purposes Alih gave for calling Batu. The financial and business claims formed part of the prosecution’s offer, rather than substantive answers from the witness in this exchange.
Alih separately sought to establish that Duterte kept business and financial interests after becoming vice president. He named Metro City Chow Foods Corporation and GenCorp Industries Inc., along with other corporations, and pointed to the interests declared under oath in her SALNs for the succeeding years.
The prosecution sought to prove that “Vice President Duterte did not divest and instead willfully continued her business and financial interests,” Alih said.
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