VICE President Sara Z. Duterte’s wealth increased by P70 million or 378 percent in a span of 16 years, from 2008 to 2024, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon revealed Wednesday.
Ridon made the revelation in the course of the House Committee on Justice deliberations on the fourth impeachment complaint against the vice president, which includes her allegedly having “unexplained wealth” as an impeachment offense.
Ridon, who chairs the House public accounts committee, told his colleagues that in 2008, the vice president had a net worth of P18.493 million, which decreased slightly to P18 million in 2009.
“At this point… I will read into the record, Madam Chair, the totality of the net worth of the Vice President from 2008. 2008, filed December 31, 2008, net worth, P18,493,617. SALN 2009, net worth, P18,000,281,” he said.
Justice Committee Chair Atty. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas asked Ridon the “reference from which you are reading.”
“Well, we have the references of the SALNs themselves…and some of the available public information relating to the SALN,” the Bicol Saro lawmaker answered.
“I will present for the record the most recent SALN that had been released by the Ombudsman, Madam Chair. I think it is something that can be flashed on the screen. But I think what should be noted is the original SALN net worth, which was P18 million,” he said.
Luistro then had the justice committee secretariat flash copies of VP Duterte’s 2023 and 2024 SALNs.
“Ayan, net worth po for 2023, P77,508,841 pesos. This is for 2023, Madam Chair. Can we flash 2024? P88,512,370.22. So we are submitting for the record because these are public records that our colleagues had actually asked for,” Ridon said.
“And if we will base it from the original SALN at 2008 to the 2024 SALN, Madam Chair, it is an increase.. So, we leave it to the Justice Committee as to whether or not we would consider it as a case of unexplained wealth, which is essentially part of the impeachment offenses we would want to proceed with at this point,” he alleged.
An internet search showed that VP Duterte was mayor of Davao City in 2008 and 2009. She served in that position from June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2010.
Ridon also said the language of the impeachment charge against VP Duterte dealing with alleged illegal wealth is the same as in the Corona impeachment, referring to proceedings involving the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
He said the language parameters should be the same and not different in the fourth impeachment complaint.
“We are stating it for the record because this is the precise wording of the Corona articles of impeachment which had proceeded to the Senate and had resulted in a conviction. So, I think it is very clear that this is the process that we have to undertake and what the endorsers would want to undertake during the process of full proceedings can be undertaken,” he said.
He added that it “would be good had the annexes been there but that is is actually not in fact required for full impeachment proceedings to proceed.”
Ridon pointed out that the impeachment charge against the late SC chief on his supposed unlawful wealth was initially not supported by specifics.
The pieces of evidence came out during his Senate trial, he said.
Before Ridon made his revelation, some committee members, including Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodrigues, demanded specifics like bank accounts to support the allegation that the vice president had amassed wealth beyond her legal income.
Luistro said members of his committee should not expect the impeachment complainants and their endorsers to produce evidence showing deposits in specific banks at this stage of the impeachment process.
“They are constrained by the Bank Secrecy Law,” she said.
She said it is the Senate, as an impeachment court, that can seek such evidence.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., one of the endorsers, said such documents can be obtained during the Senate trial of VP Duterte, if the justice committee finds the complaints against her sufficient in substance and the House impeaches her.
He recalled that this was what happened in the Corona and other Senate impeachment trials.
