₱3.45M second undeclared property of VP Sara, Atty. Mans exposed in Impeachment Court

Spox Barbers: “Una ₱6 million sa Matina. Ngayon ₱3.45 million sa Samal. Ilang properties pa ang wala sa sworn SALN?”

A second property linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, was brought before the Senate Impeachment Court through official Registry of Deeds records, this time involving a Samal property purchased for ₱3,453,849.

The prosecution’s offer of testimony for Atty. Marco K. Pineda, acting Register of Deeds of the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, states that official records show a property covered by TCT No. 142-2019013134 registered in the name of Carpio, married to Duterte.

The official deed of sale shows that the property was purchased in 2018 for ₱3,453,849.

According to the prosecution’s offer, the property remains registered in Carpio’s name to this day.

The Samal property is the second property placed under scrutiny through Register of Deeds evidence Thursday, following the prosecution’s presentation concerning a separate ₱6-million property in Matina, Davao City.

House prosecution adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said the second property turns the spotlight from an individual discrepancy to a broader question about the completeness of Duterte’s sworn declarations.

“Una, ₱6 million sa Matina. Ngayon, ₱3.45 million sa Samal. Dalawang properties. Dalawang official government records. Ang tanong: kung required silang ideklara, nasaan sila sa sworn SALN?” Barbers asked.

‘₱9.45 MILLION NA ANG DALAWANG PROPERTY’

Taken together, the stated acquisition prices of the two properties amount to approximately ₱9.45 million.

Barbers said: “Hindi na isang property ang pinag-uusapan. Sa dalawang property pa lamang na inilabas ngayong araw, halos ₱9.5 million na ang acquisition value. Hindi puwedeng basta i-dismiss iyan bilang maliit na detalye.”

“Para sa ordinaryong Pilipino, ₱3.45 million is not loose change. At ang mas malaking tanong: kung asset ito na required ideklara, bakit hindi ito makikita sa sworn declaration?” He said.

The prosecution’s own offer of testimony emphasizes the significance of the amount to ordinary Filipinos, describing ₱3.4 million as a substantial amount while framing the witness as part of its Article II case.

‘THE OATH IS THE BIGGER STORY’

Barbers stressed that the prosecution’s case is not simply about owning expensive property.

The more consequential issue, he said, is the SALN itself—a declaration of wealth made under oath.

“The ₱3.45 million is one story. The oath is the bigger story,” Barbers said.

“Ang SALN ay sinumpaang affirmation ng iyong yaman. Hindi ito form na puwedeng piliin kung anong asset ang ilalagay. Kung required ideklara ang property, you disclose it. And when you sign your SALN, you put your oath behind that declaration,” he said.

The prosecution, according to Barbers, expressly identifies Pineda’s testimony as relevant to Article II issues involving alleged “unexplained wealth, false SALNs, and continued business interests.”

‘HINDI ESCAPE CLAUSE ANG PANGALAN NI MANS’

Barbers said registration in Carpio’s name does not, by itself, answer whether the asset fell within the applicable SALN disclosure requirements.

“Hindi escape clause ang pangalan ni Mans Carpio,” Barbers said.

“The official record itself identifies Manases Carpio and his marriage to Vice President Sara Duterte. Kung covered ng SALN disclosure requirement ang property ng spouse, hindi nawawala ang disclosure obligation dahil pangalan ng asawa ang nasa titulo,”
Barbers explained.

The land record specifically identifies the registered owner as “Atty. Manases Carpio, married to Vice President Sara Duterte.”

‘2018 HANGGANG NGAYON’

Barbers also pointed to another potentially significant feature of the official record: continuity of ownership.

He said the prosecution’s offer says the property was acquired in 2018 and remains registered to Carpio today.

“2018 binili. Hanggang ngayon, ayon sa Registry of Deeds, nakapangalan pa rin kay Mans Carpio. Hindi ito property na dumaan lang at nawala bago maging Vice President si Sara,” Barbers said.

“That gives the Senate a very straightforward documentary exercise: tingnan ang property record, tingnan ang relevant SALNs, at alamin kung tama at kumpleto ang disclosure,” Barbers said.

FROM ONE DISCREPANCY TO A POSSIBLE PATTERN

Barbers said the significance of the second Register of Deeds witness is cumulative.

“Kung isang property lang, may isang discrepancy na kailangang ipaliwanag. Pero kapag may pangalawang independent government record, the question becomes larger,” he said.

“Matina. Samal. Property by property, document by document, SALN by SALN. The Senate can determine whether these are isolated discrepancies or evidence of a broader pattern,” he said.

He stressed that the impeachment court must ultimately determine what the evidence proves.

The prosecution’s task, he said, is to put the official records together.

“Hindi namin hinihingi sa Senado na maniwala sa slogan. Tingnan ang dokumento. May TCT number. May Deed of Sale. May purchase price. May registered owner. May sworn SALNs. Pagtabihin lahat,” Barbers said.

POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS

The prosecution is offering the evidence as relevant to Article II, specifically its allegations concerning unexplained wealth and false SALNs, according to Barbers.

Whether the property was legally required to appear in a particular SALN—and whether any omission was knowing—must be established through the applicable disclosure rules, the relevant SALNs and the evidence, he said.

If those elements are established, Barbers said the evidence could bear on alleged SALN disclosure violations and the constitutional accountability charge under Article II.

Any separate criminal allegation such as perjury would require proof of its own elements, including the requisite intent, he added.

Barbers said: “Hindi natin kailangang mauna sa ebidensya. Simple ang sequence: May property ba? Oo. May official record ba? Oo. Magkano? ₱3.453 million. Kanino nakapangalan? Mans Carpio. Since when? 2018. Nasa pangalan pa rin ba niya? According to the Registry, yes.”
Barbers said.

“Ngayon gawin ang susunod na comparison: required ba itong ideklara, at nasa SALN ba?” He said.

‘DALAWA NA. ILAN PA?’

Barbers closed with this formulation: “Kanina, ₱6 million sa Matina. Ngayon, ₱3.45 million sa Samal. Dalawang properties na, halos ₱9.5 million ang combined acquisition value. Dalawang Registry of Deeds records. One sworn disclosure obligation.”

“Ang SALN ay hindi suggestion. It is a declaration under oath,” he said. “Una, Matina. Pangalawa, Samal. Dalawa na. Ilan pa ang nakatago?”