Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 27: Records showed VP Sara retained business interests, corporate positions

On the 27th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the exchange included that she allegedly held a directorship position and was a shareholder in a private business from 2016 up to 2025 and that the subpoena for Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte was recalled.

This was because the prosecution witness SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo Fernando Del Rosario testified on the corporate records of the 18 companies which either the Vice President or her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, owns or have business interest in.

Defense counsel Justin Gular was quick to move for the exclusion and discussion of corporate documents belonging to JTC Group of Companies and Pikimong Pikimong Philippines Corporation, citing such companies were not covered by the subpoena issued by the Senate impeachment court.

The court ruled in favor of Gular.

Del Rosario then said the Vice President is prohibited to participate in any business activity during her tenure as Vice President as provided under Article 7, Section 13 of the Constitution which reads “The President and Vice President shall not, during said tenure, directly or indirectly, practice any other profession, participate in any business, or be financially interested in any contract with, or in any franchise, or special privilege granted by the government or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries.”

Likewise, Del Rosario testified that the Vice President did not relinquish her post as one of the Board of Directors of Metro City Chow Foods Corporation since she assumed office as Vice President in June 30, 2022 despite the Constitutional prohibition.

Based on SEC records, Del Rosario said the Vice President was still listed as Metro City Chow Foods Corporation’s Director in the company’s 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 General Information Sheet findings.

But as to the 18 firms, Del Rosario said that 10 did not declare dividends in multiple years covering years 2004 to 2025.

These 10 include:

• City Hall King Chow Foods Corporation
• Metro City Chow Foods Corporation
• Gencorp Industries, Inc.
• Cale88 Foods Corporation
• Mati City Ice Plant & Cold Storage
• Davao Emerging Taipans Corporation
• Geometry Security and Investigation Agency, Inc.
• 3Kids Trucking Services, Inc.
• CYK&T Davao Corporation
• SGT Fortune Horse Corporation

On the other hand, the eight of the 18 did not submit any annual financial statement.

These eight, on the other hand, are:

• Davao Bounty Times Foods Corp.
• Madayaw fisheries Inc.
• Great Jolly Times Food Corp.
• Amianan Shores Inc.
• Timesqure Bee Foods Corp.
• Cabletow 88 Shipping and Marine Services, Inc.
• Davao New Royal Taipan Foods Corporation
• Carpio Lawyers

With no financial statement, Del Rosario said there is no basis to determine if these eight companies had paid dividends to its stockholders or otherwise.

Before the trial day ended, that the Senate impeachment court has recalled the subpoena for the Vice President’s younger brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte and two others to appear on September 23, Wednesday, when oral arguments on the voting threshold have been scheduled.

As a result, the younger Duterte’s expected appearance has been moved between September 28 to 30.

The testimony of the Davao City mayor was sought by the prosecutors since he was listed as one of the officials of Gencorp Industries, Inc. which was one the businesses that the Vice President declared under her SALN.

GenCorp’s corporate records do not show the Vice President as one of its incorporators or directors, but the Vice President declared it as one of her business interests in her SALN as Vice President in 2024 and 2025.

This discrepancy in declaration and the absence or lack of dividends paid by the 18 firms, the prosecution panel said, puts the credibility of the Vice President’s SALN declaration questionable.

In a separate press conference, defense counsel Michael Poa said he won’t advise the Vice President to attend her impeachment trial in person, saying that such decision only lies with the Vice President.

Before the trial started, the House prosecution panel on Monday decided to forgo presenting Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo of the Civil Service Commission as a witness for the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte.

House prosecutor Terry Ridon said this was because the prosecution was already satisfied with the testimony of former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Atty. Karen Batu of the Office of the Ombudsman who testified on anti-corruption and SALN laws, respectively. — BAP, GMA News