Ridon: Saying Sara money lumped with ‘others’ in SALN is ‘insulting’
A lawmaker on Friday criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team in the impeachment complaints against her for lumping the money in her bank accounts under a different category in her net worth statements, calling it a feeble attempt to gloss over inconsistencies in her finances.
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said that the explanation that Duterte’s cash in bank was lodged under “others” in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) was “implausible” and undermines wealth disclosure guidelines requiring transparency.
Duterte’s failure to accurately accomplish her SALN report may amount to a betrayal of public trust—an impeachable offense, according to Ridon. The vice president faces accusations that she amassed wealth beyond her declared income and failed to properly disclose her assets
“If you’re going to make excuses, at least think them through,” Ridon said. “It’s insulting to treat all Filipinos as fools.”
On Wednesday, the House committee on justice received Duterte’s SALNs that showed she declared no cash on hand or in bank from 2019 to 2024, despite her wealth steadily increasing throughout the years as a public official.
In 2007, Duterte reported a net worth of P7.25 million, rising to P71.06 million by 2022, when she was elected the nation’s second-highest official. Her assets climbed further to P88.51 million in 2024.
Lawyer Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, told a media briefing on Thursday that her bank cash disclosures were listed under “others” in her SALNs, alongside other personal properties.
Duterte has refused to attend the hearings on the impeachment complaints against her called by the House justice committee.
Sworn legal document
Ridon, a member of the committee, said Poa’s explanation was a flimsy attempt to justify what lawmakers see as irregularities in Duterte’s financial disclosures.
“You cannot hide a clear asset behind the word ‘others’,” he said. “The SALN is a sworn legal document. It must be clear, detailed, and without concealment.”
“Cash in bank is a basic asset—it cannot be buried under ‘others’ without raising serious questions,” he added.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua said in a statement that discrepancies between Duterte’s bank transaction records and her SALNs revealed glaring gaps in her true financial standing, which should be explained.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reported on Wednesday that banks flagged more than 600 transactions totaling P6.7 billion from the bank accounts of the Vice President and her husband from 2005 to 2026.
About P4.42 billion flowed into their accounts, P1.55 billion was transferred out, and around P791 million was not verified as either an inflow or an outflow, according to the AMLC summary report.
She’s a ‘billionaire’
Duterte’s accounts recorded P3.77 billion in total transactions, with P1.83 billion in inflows and P1.21 billion in outflows. Her husband, Manases Carpio, saw P2.99 billion move through his accounts—P2.59 billion deposits and P343 million withdrawals.
“The AMLC records have shown that Vice President Sara Duterte is a billionaire,” Chua said. “It is an undisputed fact—not based on mere testimony, but on official documents and government records.”
He said Duterte’s nondisclosure of the billions of pesos that flowed through her accounts raised doubts about the accuracy of her declared net worth.
“The numbers don’t match,” Chua told a media briefing.
He urged the Vice President to attend the House justice committee hearings to explain her side. “At the end of the day, the people still have one question: for confidential funds, where is the money? For ill gotten wealth, how did she acquire the money?”
Discrepancies between Duterte’s declared assets and her bank transactions highlight the need for the House committee on justice to review the tax returns of the Duterte-Carpio couple submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to the justice committee.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said the tax code bars the disclosure of an individual’s tax information unless they consent to make it public or it is presented in an executive session.
Kapunan: ‘Cause’ established
Veteran trial lawyer Lorna Kapunan, who volunteered as a private prosecutor in Duterte’s first impeachment last year, believes that committee on justice has achieved the probable cause threshold in the new impeachment complaints against Duterte.
“Follow the numbers. Let the numbers speak for themselves,” the veteran lawyer told DZMM in an interview, referring to Duterte’s finances.
“This is not opinion. This is not hearsay. This is documentary evidence—AMLC records, Ombudsman records, official records of the government. They don’t lie,” Kapunan said.
She pointed to the P6.7 billion cited by AMLC, yet Duterte’s SALN since 2019 reported zero deposits and cash on hand, while her net worth climbed from P55.6 million to P88.5 million.
“The threshold of probable cause has been met,” she said, adding “the hard evidence is there.”Kapunan dismissed the Duterte camp’s complaint that the committee hearings amounted to a mini-trial.
“This is a clarificatory hearing. It is not an evidentiary hearing, and it is not a trial,” she said, pointing out that committee chair, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, constantly blocked “probing questions” from panel members as those are properly raised during a Senate trial.
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