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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
April 22, 2026 | 12:05pm
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte's declared net worth climbed from P55.6 million in 2019 to P88.5 million last year, yet for those six years she reported having no cash on hand and no bank deposits, wealth declaration records presented to the House justice committee showed on Wednesday, April 22.
Declaring zero cash or bank deposits is not, on its own, proof of wrongdoing. Under the government's SALN rules, a public official's wealth can grow through rising property values or investments — none of which would necessarily show up as cash.
Earnings and income, according to Civil Service Commission guidelines, should form part of the declarant's cash on hand or in the bank. But the absence of any liquid assets over six consecutive years in the SALN of a sitting vice president is what the committee is now probing today.
Lawyer Karen Batu of the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed to the panel that Duterte's SALNs from 2019 to 2024 contained no declared cash on hand or bank deposits.
Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) had sought this confirmation. Batu noted that Duterte's earlier filings, from 2007 to 2018, did include cash and bank deposit entries.
The vice president's 2022 SALN — a detailed record presented Wednesday — showed P74.8 million in total assets against P3.75 million in liabilities, for a combined net worth of P71 million.
The filings include properties, vehicles, and business interests, as well as liabilities declared by her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The House justice committee scrutinizes the SALN of Vice President Sara Duterte, April 22, 2026.
Screengrab via House of Representatives livestream
No-show for third time
Duterte was absent again today — her third consecutive no-show since the committee began its impeachment proceedings on April 14.
Panel chairperson Rep. Jingky Luistro opened the hearing by noting that Duterte had recently chosen to focus on the allegation by self-confessed "bagman" Ramil Madriaga about her credentials in law school, a talking point in the previous hearing.
Luistro said this essentially sidesteps the far heavier accusations against the vice president and former education secretary involving her use of confidential funds.
"While the complainants are here, the only thing that faced us was an empty chair," Luistro said. "And yet, with or without her cooperation, the committee's mandate continues."
Luistro added that instead of testifying under oath before the committee, Duterte has responded through press releases and social media. "Ang gusto natin ay testimonya sa ilalim ng sumpa, pero ang ibinibigay sa atin ay press release at content sa social media."
The hearing where they follow the money
The committee signaled that Day 3 would center squarely on financial records. Luistro said the panel expected evidence from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lawyer Antonio La Viña and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV were also expected to provide information.
"Numbers do not have motives. Numbers do not lie," Luistro said.
The SALN has previously played an outsized role in past impeachments. In 2012, the Senate convicted then-Chief Justice Renato Corona for failing to disclose his assets in his SALN, removing him from office in a 20-3 vote — the only successful impeachment conviction in the country's history. Corona was found to have hidden roughly $2 million and P80 million in deposits that did not appear in his filings.
Beyond allegations of unexplained wealth, the committee has adopted evidence from the House Committee on Good Government covering the alleged misuse of P612 million in confidential and intelligence funds.
The Commission on Audit has upheld a P73-million disallowance of the OVP's confidential expenditures. It has also issued three additional notices, leaving Duterte potentially liable for P448 million.
Duterte has denied wrongdoing.
