MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution on Friday questioned Vice President Sara Duterte’s public image of simple living as its final witness presented financial findings that included P11.35 million in checks allegedly paid to her dentist and estimated P817.87 million in allegedly undeclared assets and income.
Financial forensic expert Alexander Cabrera, a certified public accountant and lawyer, estimated that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, had P817.87 million in allegedly undeclared assets and income from 2022 to 2025.
Among the transactions highlighted in Cabrera’s report were check payments totaling P11.35 million to Lourdes Lebosada, identified during the hearing as Duterte’s dentist. He also flagged P299,142 in Nike purchases at SM Davao Annex in a single day.
The prosecution said Cabrera tied together bank records, statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), corporate filings and audited financial statements to support its allegations under Article II of the impeachment complaint, which covers unexplained wealth, inaccurate financial declarations and prohibited business interests.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon pointed to the gap between Cabrera’s estimate and Duterte’s declared net worth of about P98 million.
“I think the numbers are staggering today. More than 800 million [pesos] in supposed unexplained wealth, as stated by the expert witness, against a SALN of 98 million [pesos],” Ridon said.
The financial findings have renewed scrutiny of the Duterte family’s public image of living like ordinary Filipinos. House prosecution spokesperson Ace Barbers earlier questioned that image, citing the family’s portrayal of sleeping under mosquito nets and eating at roadside eateries.
“But now, there are financial records that need to be explained. The image is no longer enough. The documents must speak,” Barbers said.
In a statement Friday after the prosecution concluded its presentation, Barbers expressed confidence that the evidence could support Duterte’s conviction.
“We’re confident that the evidence that we presented in the impeachment court will perhaps merit a conviction,” he said.
