The head of the Office of the Ombudsman’s records office said Vice President Sara Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) from 2019 to 2025 had no specific cash declarations.
Testifying in Duterte’s impeachment trial, lawyer Karen Batu, officer in charge of the Records Division, said there was no “cash on hand” or “cash in bank” declared.
Duterte’s earlier SALNs, starting from 2007, had cash declarations.
When she was Davao City vice mayor in 2007, she declared P2 million in cash. She declared the same amount the following year, and P2.8 million in 2009.
She became Davao City mayor in 2010 and declared P3.66 million in cash. For 2011 and 2012, she declared P3.93 million and P4.32 million.
She was out of public office from 2013 to 2015.
When she returned as Davao City mayor in 2016, she declared P3.75 million in cash. In 2017, she declared P6.37 million and in 2018, P3.79 million.
Starting 2019, there was no cash declared, but Batu said there were declarations for “other personal properties (various items)” with corresponding amounts in the millions of pesos.
There were similar declarations for Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio under “other personal properties.”
Duterte’s lawyer earlier said her cash assets were included under “others” in her SALN.
During cross-examination, defense counsel Justin Gular asked Batu to confirm that the section of the SALN form on personal properties has no separate disclosure line or row for cash on hand or cash deposits.
Batu said that was the case.
Gular also asked Batu if the Civil Service Commission guidelines on filling out the SALN expressly prohibit lumping cash with other personal properties.
She said there was no such prohibition.
She also said there was no such prohibition in the 2025 Omnibus Rules of the CSC issued in 2025 on the collective declaration of cash on hand or cash deposits with personal properties.
Duterte’s SALNs were scrutinized in relation to allegations that she had amassed unexplained wealth.