HOUSE lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro challenged Vice President Sara Duterte to take the witness stand in her impeachment trial, insisting she is the best person who could explain the financial records and property documents presented by the prosecution.
Luistro said Duterte should account for her audited financial statements, income tax returns, statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), Anti-Money Laundering Council reports, property registrations, and business interests in GenCorp.
Forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera, a prosecution witness, previously estimated Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, had approximately P817.87 million in alleged unexplained wealth from 2022 to 2025 under a conservative computation, potentially reaching P1.5 billion under a broader calculation. Duterte declared a net worth of P98.66 million in her 2025 SALN.
“We can’t think of anyone else. The only person who can truly explain what happened is none other than the vice president,” Luistro said in Filipino in a radio interview on Sunday.
She echoed Lorna Kapunan’s earlier remarks and dared the vice president to face the Senate impeachment court to prove her innocence.
“And as we’ve said, if the defense truly maintains that she is innocent — that she committed no violation — why not come out into the open? Take the witness stand and defend yourself, right?” Luistro said.
“The testimony provided by the prosecution’s witnesses will remain unrebutted. Still, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt; after all, it’s only the first week, and we’ve only seen the first list, right?” she added.
Duterte’s defense team is scheduled to begin presenting evidence when proceedings resume on Monday, Nov. 9.
Kristina Maralit
