SEC: Sara Duterte listed as stockholder, board member of Davao firm from 2022–2025

Vice President Sara Duterte was listed as a stockholder and member of the board of directors of a Davao-based private company from 2022 to 2025 while serving in office, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Wednesday.

Citing the General Information Sheet (GIS) of Metro City Chow Foods Corp., SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department (CRMD) Director Gerardo del Rosario said the name “Sara Z. Duterte” appeared as a stockholder holding 500 shares and as a member of the board of directors during the period.

“For the GIS of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. for 2022, the name Sara Z. Duterte appears as a stockholder and a member of the board,” del Rosario told the House Committee on Justice during its hearing on the impeachment case against Duterte.

GMA News Online has reached out to Duterte’s camp for comment and will update this story once a response is received.

Duterte was elected vice president in 2022 and is serving a six-year term set to end in 2028.

Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan asked the SEC official to confirm whether the name in the GIS referred to the Vice President.

Del Rosario replied: “The reference here is Sara Z. Duterte, and I can presume this is the Honorable Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.”

Suan pointed out that the President and Vice President are barred under the Constitution from directly or indirectly engaging in business during their tenure.

“The resource person has just confirmed that she has 500 shares of stock in a private company,” Suan said.

Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution states that the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and their deputies or assistants shall not hold any other office or employment during their tenure, unless otherwise provided in the Constitution.

It also prohibits them from practicing any profession, participating in any business, or having a financial interest in contracts, franchises, or special privileges granted by the government or its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries.

The Constitution further mandates that they must avoid conflicts of interest in the discharge of their duties.—MCG, GMA News