PRIVATE prosecutor Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. on Thursday welcomed a defense witness’ confirmation of P2.14 million in payments to Vice President Sara Duterte from GenCorp Industries Inc., saying the admission established a financial connection the prosecution considered material to its case.
Tolosa pointed to the testimony of corporate counsel Atty. Suzette Balucanag-Punay, who said GenCorp’s records showed P2,142,369.14 in disbursements to Duterte from 2022 to 2025.
Punay described the payments as a return of capital from an earlier investment associated with the Jollibee Times Square branch.
“We welcome that admission because we think it’s quite material,” Tolosa said at the November 12 post-trial press conference.
The issue, he said, also involved Duterte’s own declarations of a business interest in GenCorp.
The company appears in her 2024 and 2025 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), while Punay maintained Duterte was not a GenCorp shareholder.
“Meron siyang financial interest dito sa GenCorp,” Tolosa said.
Punay’s account distinguished an investment in a branch operated by GenCorp from ownership of shares in the corporation.
The prosecution pressed for the documents explaining the arrangement, the original capital and the recurring payments.
Tolosa said the witness had not supplied the agreement needed to explain the terms.
“Wala siyang mapakitang any document to show kung ano ang kasunduan nila dyan,” he said, referring to the explanation concerning the investment.
During the November 11 hearing, Punay said she had not seen a written document supporting the arrangement.
She also disputed House prosecution’s lead forensic financial witness, Atty. Alexander Cabrera’s computation of income attributed to Duterte, citing the substantially lower disbursements in GenCorp’s records.
Tolosa emphasized the identity of the corporation making the payments.
“Ang nagbibigay ng pera sa kanya ang GenCorp,” he said.
He connected the financial link to GenCorp’s participation in government contracting, including transactions involving the Davao City government.
The prosecution’s question concerns the relationship among the investment arrangement, the payments and the company’s public contracts.
“So yan din ang tumatanggap ng pera from LGU,” Tolosa said.
GenCorp’s transaction summary listed payments of P337,500 in 2022, P555,750 in 2023, P612,419.14 in 2024 and P636,700 in 2025.
Punay used those disbursements to challenge the substantially larger amounts Cabrera attributed to Duterte.
The prosecution maintains the admitted payments require an explanation of the underlying arrangement.
Asked about the possible consequence of the testimony, Tolosa reserved the determination to the senator-judges.
“We leave that to the court to determine,” he said.
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