THE House prosecution panel said Monday that the company records it would present in Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial show no dividends for her and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, as prosecutors examine whether their alleged businesses provided income that could help explain her supposed growing declared wealth.
Private prosecutor Atty. Erwin Matib outlined the claim in his offer of testimony for witness, Atty. Gerardo F. del Rosario, director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Company Registration and Monitoring Department, before the Senate impeachment court on Monday.
Matib said the prosecution would examine company earnings and dividend distributions, alongside the couple’s shareholdings, corporate positions and business interests disclosed in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
“Importante ito, dahil gusto natin makita kung ang mga kumpanyang ito ay talagang may naibigay na legitimong income kay VP Sara Duterte na maaaring makatulong magpaliwanag sa paglaki ng kanyang declared net worth,” Matib said.
The prosecutor identified SEC and company records as the basis for the examination of earnings and distributions to stockholders.
“Base sa mga authentic records ng Securities and Exchange Commission at ng mga kumpanya, papatunayan kung magkano ang kinita ng mga kumpanyang ito at kung may dividends bang dineklara o ipinamahagi sa kanilang mga stockholders.”
Matib’s offer covered five subjects: the couple’s alleged ownership of businesses; their shares and interests; company earnings and dividends; corporate filings identifying their positions; and sales and connections among companies linked to Duterte.
Among the business names he identified were City Hall King Chow Foods Corporation, Metro City Chow Foods Corporation, GenCorp Industries Inc., Cale88 Foods Corporation, Mati City Ice Plant and Cold Storage, and Geometry Security and Investigation Agency Inc.
He also named Great Jolly Times Food Corporation, Timesquare Bee Foods Corporation, Davao New Royal Taipan Foods Corporation, Davao Emerging Taipans Corporation, 3Kids Trucking Services Inc., CYK&T Davao Corporation, SGT Fortune Horse Corporation and Davao Bounty Times Foods Corporation.
The list further included Madayaw Fisheries Inc., Amianan Shores Inc., Cabletow 88 Shipping and Marine Services Inc., and Carpio Lawyers.
In discussing the couple’s interests, Matib said the prosecution would address the value of their shares and other interests in relation to Duterte’s asset declarations.
“Ang halaga ng mga shares of stock at iba pang interest sa mga kumpanya ay dapat i-declare sa SALN,” he said.
Matib then identified the documents through which the prosecution intended to establish the people behind the businesses and their recorded positions.
“Ipapakita ng witness ang sariling filings ng mga corporation sa SEC kabilang na ang articles of incorporation or partnership.”
He said the presentation would also cover general information sheets and other corporate records identifying each corporation’s incorporators, stockholders, directors and officers.
The examination would address whether Duterte’s name and interests remained listed in corporate filings during her vice presidency, Matib said.
He identified those entries as another subject the prosecution intended to establish through del Rosario’s presentation.
Matib also cited the sales reported by companies during Duterte’s term.
“Ang ilan sa mga kumpanya ni Vice President ay nag-report ng malalaking sales sa mga panahong siya ay Vice President,” he said.
He singled out GenCorp Industries as one of the companies that reported large sales, saying its connection to Duterte would be examined through both her declarations in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and corporate records showing people holding positions across companies.
“Ang GenCorp Industries at iba pang mga kumpanya ni Vice President ay may mga interlocking shareholders, directors at officers.”
Matib identified Jaime T. Cruz as one person whose name repeatedly appeared in the SEC documents the prosecution intended to present.
Defense counsel Atty. Justin Nicol Gular objected to portions of the offer involving ownership, legal conclusions and the relevance of the alleged interlocking positions.
On the question of dividend income, Matib stated what the prosecution said its records would show:
“Ngunit batay sa records na ipapakita, wala o zero ang dividends para kay VP Sara at Attorney Manases Carpio sa mga kumpanyang ito.”
metrosundaily
