MANILA, Philippines — More than 20 pairs of shoes from a popular brand worth P256,882.50—for young basketball players and even their parents—were paid for by Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, during a trip to Malaysia, a defense witness told the Senate impeachment court on Thursday.
On the 43rd day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, defense witness Chadrin Parian testified that Carpio paid the bill after the Elite Philippines youth basketball team won a tournament in Kuala Lumpur in June 2025.
The purchase was charged to Carpio’s credit card at Nike Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur.
During direct examination, defense counsel Justin Gular presented Parian to explain the circumstances surrounding the P256,882.50 transaction.
Parian, a resident of Las Piñas, said he and Carpio traveled to Malaysia for their children's basketball tournament. He described Carpio as a co-parent and manager of the team.
He said the group celebrated the team's victory by touring Kuala Lumpur, where the children visited a Nike store, picked out their shoes, and had Carpio pay for them.
The defense presented photographs taken by Parian showing Carpio beside boxes of shoes, along with pictures of the basketball team during their trip to Malaysia.
Parian also identified another photograph showing several people holding Nike shoe boxes, confirming that Carpio had paid for those purchases as well.
Prosecution lawyer Reynaldo Robles stipulated that Carpio and the basketball team had indeed traveled to Malaysia.
Asked by Robles whether the purchase was consistent with the constitutional requirement for public officials and their families to observe a simple lifestyle, Parian said he could not speak for Carpio or explain his thinking.
He maintained, however, that the children deserved the shoes.
During redirect examination, Gular asked why shoes were also purchased for the athletes' parents and guardians.
Parian explained that some parents could not afford to buy shoes or shoulder the expenses of traveling abroad to support their children.
He added that parents took turns sponsoring the team's needs because not all families had the financial means to cover the expenses.
"Perhaps he was pleased with how things turned out—the kids won the tournament. The kids won... They took turns covering the kids’ expenses," Parian said.
Parian also insisted that he was telling the truth and would not lie to protect Carpio.
