Sara Duterte’s own witness unsure if Davao lot matches SALN

MANILA — A Davao City official called by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense could not confirm before the Senate impeachment court on Monday, Nov. 9, whether a Matina Crossing property bought by her husband is the same one she declared in her sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Davao City Assessor Jaime Adalin made the admission on the 40th day of the trial, under questioning by Senator-judge Bam Aquino.

Adalin has served as city assessor since 2017, when Duterte, then Davao City mayor, appointed him.

He said he was not sure whether Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) ending in 0775 corresponds to the “residential lot” declared under “Barangay 74-A” in Duterte’s 2024 SALN. The title covers a 379-square-meter property in Davao City acquired by her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.

“Ang lahat ng ari-arian ni Vice President Sara sa Barangay 74-A, na-check nyo po ba yan? Or hindi niyo po, ito lang particular lot ang na-check ninyo o na-check nyo sa Barangay 74-A kung ilan talaga yung kanyang properties?” Aquino asked.

“Hindi ko na po sineek kasi doon na po nakalagay sa subpoena [ng impeachment court] yung specific title ending 0775,” Adalin replied.

Aquino noted that Adalin had not checked the assessor’s records exhaustively. Without that check, he had no factual basis to say the property named in the subpoena was the couple’s only parcel in Barangay 74-A.

“So hindi niyo po masasabi? Kasi kung na-check niyo po yan, pwede niyong sabihin isa lang yung kanyang property sa Barangay 74-A. Hindi niyo po masasabi yun ngayon?” Aquino asked.

“Hindi po,” Adalin said. “But kung ito po kasing eCAR (Electronic Certificate Authorizing Registration) na ito, ang basehan natin to check whether it is provided in this SALN. Nakalagay po kasi diyan sa tax declaration, yung previous tax declaration ng land.”

Aquino then asked directly whether Adalin knew how many holdings were registered under the couple’s names in the area.

“Were you able to check, even just for that barangay, Barangay 74-A, kung ilan yung properties po ni Mans Carpio at ni Vice President Sara sa Barangay na yan?” he asked.

“Hindi ko po na-check,” Adalin said.

Aquino’s questions followed a long cross-examination by prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. Tolosa highlighted mismatches between Carpio’s purchase records and Duterte’s SALN entries.

Tolosa presented an eCAR dated July 24, 2024, covering a parcel in Huna Subdivision, Matina Crossing, Talomo, Davao City.

Adalin acknowledged that the eCAR recorded a purchase by Carpio at a total selling price of PHP 6 million, covering both the lot and an existing improvement.

Tolosa then directed Adalin to Duterte’s 2024 SALN, where she declared a property valued at PHP 10 million.

Tolosa also established that the SALN entry lacked standard technical details such as block numbers, lot numbers, street names, or land coordinates.

Asked whether those identifiers appeared in the SALN, Adalin replied, “Yan, di po nakalagay.”

Adalin’s answers on a separate line of questioning drew rebukes from several senator-judges, including brothers Erwin Tulfo and Raffy Tulfo, who called his responses evasive.

Tolosa had asked whether Adalin was among the Davao City officials who went to China in November 2025. The prosecutor alleged that the Chinese government sponsored the all-expenses-paid trip.

“I think that is irrelevant. I think hindi ko talaga ma-recall,” Adalin replied.

Senator-judge Vicente Sotto III said the question was important in assessing the witness’s credibility.

Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero then asked Adalin what he could not remember.

“Ang tanong ay simple, ano po ang hindi ninyo naalala? Yung petsa o yung biyahe?” Escudero asked.

“Yung petsa siguro,” Adalin said.

“Pero nagbiyahe po kayo sa China noong mga ganong panahon?” Escudero pressed.

“Siguro. Again, I don’t have the record. Hindi mo naman memorize yung mga lakad mo, noh,” Adalin replied.

Erwin Tulfo reminded Adalin that he was under oath and warned that he could be cited in contempt.

“Para po tayong niloloko ng testigo na ito. Sir, may I remind you that you are under oath. Yung ginagawa ninyong kengkoy ang inyong testimonya, bawal po ‘yan. We can cite you in contempt. We are serious here,” he said.

“Tinatanong kayo kung nakapunta kayo, ayaw ninyong sabihin,” he added. “Yung pagsisinungaling po ay nasa kaniya iyan, may consequences po iyan.”

Raffy Tulfo challenged Adalin’s earlier testimony that a property bearing the Prime Bistro sign was commercial but used as a residence. He accused the witness of lying.

“Natawa ako kanina, nakalagay na nga Prime Bistro, commercial ‘yun, ibig sabihin. Ang sinabi niya kanina, commercial pero ginagamit as residential,” Raffy Tulfo said. “He is lying through his teeth. Lumilitaw na para bang pinagloloko tayo.”

“Nakalagay na nga Prime Bistro, kumbaga iyon ay negosyo, dining,” he added. “So naglagay ka ng dining, naglagay ka ng karatula para tutulugan mo lang? Parang iyon ang pinapalabas ng witness.”

The National Bureau of Investigation previously identified Prime Bistro as a property registered to Carpio.

Duterte’s SALN listed an entry with an acquisition cost of PHP 10 million and a fair market value of PHP 82,000.

The Matina Crossing property is part of Article II of the Articles of Impeachment. That article alleges significant discrepancies in Duterte’s declared assets and net worth.

Records authenticated during the trial show Carpio acquired the 379-square-meter lot on July 2, 2024, for a deed price of PHP 6 million.

The couple then mortgaged the property to PSBank for PHP 8 million on Aug. 27, 2024.

The Davao City Register of Deeds earlier reported finding no matching entry in Duterte’s 2025 SALN based on price, location, and mode of acquisition. Register of Deeds Kathy Florence Baldonado testified alongside Samal Deputy Register of Deeds Marco Pineda on the trial’s 31st day, as prosecutors presented records of properties acquired in 2018 and 2024.

Escudero himself remarked during a later session that the PHP 6 million Matina property did not appear in the couple’s 2025 joint SALN.

The defense maintains that Matina Crossing and Barangay 74-A are the same place. Its witness list for Nov. 9 to 13 includes Matina Crossing Punong Barangay Cindy Colina, who is expected to bring documents on the barangay’s creation, official name, and other names it goes by.

Forensic accountant Alexander Cabrera, former chairman of PwC Philippines, estimated that Duterte and Carpio accumulated PHP 817.87 million in allegedly undeclared assets and income between 2022 and 2025.

Cabrera testified that the figure could approach PHP 1.5 billion under less conservative assumptions.

His property subtotal alone reached PHP 143.50 million. It covers real estate, insurance, investments, firearms, and corporate equity.

Duterte declared a net worth of PHP 98.66 million at year-end 2025, an increase of PHP 26.99 million from 2022.

Cabrera cited the Matina Crossing transaction, noting that the couple declared PHP 10 million in the SALN and PHP 16.5 million in a bank loan application. He excluded the property’s value from his final undeclared estimate pending clear identification.

The trial is the first in Philippine history in which a sitting vice president faces the Senate as an impeachment court. Proceedings opened on July 6, 2026.