THE House prosecution is examining whether the more than P30-million increase in Vice President Sara Duterte’s declared wealth since 2022 can be explained by legitimate income from her businesses and other declared financial interests, House Prosecution Legal Spokesperson Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said Tuesday.
Tolosa said the prosecution’s approach under Article II on alleged unexplained wealth is to start with Duterte’s own Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), then compare these with tax filings, business records, bank transactions and other financial evidence.
“Ang kailangan ho nating balikan dito and then as stated in our articles of impeachment, para maging simple tandaan natin ang kinukumpara natin ‘yung kabuuang yaman na dineklara ng bise presidente sa kanyang SALN,” Tolosa said in an interview with ANC Tuesday.
He said Duterte declared around P98.5 million in net worth by the end of 2025, which the prosecution will use as a reference point in examining how her wealth changed while she was vice president.
“Una dahil nanggaling ito from 2022 to 2025 tumaas ho yan ng around thirty plus million. So ito na yung panahon na siya ay bise presidente na,” Tolosa said.
The prosecution will then compare that increase with income declared in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filings of Duterte, her husband, and companies in which she declared financial interests.
“So titignan natin akma ba yan doon sa kanyang kinita na dineklara sa kanyang BIR tax filings,” Tolosa said.
He added that prosecutors will also examine bank records, such as the covered and suspicious transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other evidence that may help establish the vice president’s overall wealth and financial interests.
Tolosa said one of the central questions is whether Duterte’s declared companies could account for the increase in her net worth.
“So dito sa punto na to ayan may hinahanap tayong increase nung income niya, yung more than P30 million magmula naging bise presidente siya,” he said.
“Tinitignan natin posible ba na yan ang naging source ng income niya dun sa paglobo nung kanyang kabuuang yaman itong same period na to,” Tolosa added.
He said the prosecution is also looking at whether those companies earned profits and, if they did, whether Duterte received income from them as a shareholder.
“Ano bang naging kita ng mga yan? Kumita ba sila, nalugi? Kung kumita nagbigay ba ng kita sa kanya as shareholder kung dinideklara nya na shareholder siya nun,” he said.
Tolosa also explained that the absence of declared dividends in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings does not automatically mean no dividends were paid, noting that such income should still appear in tax filings if received.
The prosecution is expected to subpoena BIR records and compare them with Duterte’s SALNs, SEC filings, bank records and AMLC transactions as it builds its case under Article II.
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