BIR evidence shows VP Sara has cash on hand and in banks, contrary to her SALNs

THE House prosecution on Thursday presented Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records showing that Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, reported millions of pesos in cash on hand and in banks from 2022 to 2025, despite the absence of separate cash entries in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

The evidence reinforced earlier testimony from bank, insurance and investment firm executives documenting substantial financial holdings that the prosecution is seeking to reconcile with Duterte’s asset declarations.

BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza’s chief of staff, Atty. Anne Loraine C. Garcia-Marquez, confirmed that the couple’s audited financial statements submitted to the agency contained substantial cash balances throughout Duterte’s vice presidency.

“Based po dito sa audited financial statements filed with the BIR, as of December 31, 2022, meron pong cash on hand and in banks na 21,234,980 pesos po,” Garcia-Marquez testified during questioning by House prosecution counsel Erwin Matib.

The amount increased to P28.97 million in 2023 before declining to P15.53 million in 2024 and P13.8 million in 2025.

Garcia-Marquez explained that cash on hand and in banks appeared as a separate line item in the audited financial statements filed with the BIR.

In contrast, Duterte declared no cash on hand or in banks in her SALNs from 2019 to 2025, despite reporting millions of pesos in other personal properties.

The seven consecutive years without a separate cash declaration have become a key focus of the prosecution’s examination of her financial records.

The BIR evidence reinforced earlier bank records showing that Duterte and Carpio maintained at least 26 active accounts across eight banks, with cumulative year-end balances exceeding P190 million from 2022 to 2025.

The prosecution said the bank records showed combined year-end balances exceeding P59 million in 2022, P71 million in 2023, P22 million in 2024 and P39 million in 2025.

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Central Metro Manila Division Head Marwin Galvez also confirmed a joint account involving the Vice President and her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

The prosecution traced P80 million transferred from the joint account for insurance products and a separate P16.85-million manager’s check involving Davao businessman Samuel “Sammy” Uy.

FWD Life Insurance Corp. Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Juan Sotero Roman separately confirmed that Carpio held an investment-linked insurance policy worth P10.6 million in 2024.

The policy carried a sum assured of approximately P13.25 million, with the Duterte-Carpio children named as beneficiaries.

Records from BDO Securities also showed that Carpio held approximately P25 million in securities investments as of Dec. 31, 2025.

BDO Securities operations head Janet Amora detailed about P13 million in equities and P12 million in bonds.

The prosecution earlier flagged at least P29.75 million in Carpio’s securities investments against P10.86 million in other assets attributed to him in Duterte’s 2025 SALN.

The latest BIR evidence followed testimony from Ombudsman records official Atty. Karen Batu, who authenticated Duterte’s SALNs, and former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, who discussed the requirement to declare cash and other assets.

During Thursday’s hearing, Matib sought to establish whether the cash reported to the BIR should have appeared separately in Duterte’s SALNs.

Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected, arguing that Garcia-Marquez was not qualified to interpret SALN disclosure requirements.

Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero sustained the objection but allowed the BIR official’s testimony on the reported cash balances to remain on record.

The financial records form part of Article II of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth and discrepancies in her asset declarations.

The House prosecution is seeking to establish whether the cash, deposits, insurance policies and investments were fully and accurately disclosed in Duterte’s SALNs.