Subpoenas on Sara Duterte, husband’s tax, business records eyed
A lawmaker suggests subpoenas for Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband's tax and business records to investigate an alleged P50-million disparity between her government salary and declared net worth, amidst ongoing impeachment complaints.
In March 2026, the Philippine House Committee on Justice is seeking subpoenas for Vice President Sara Duterte's tax records, business documents, and those of her husband Manases Carpio to investigate an alleged P50-million discrepancy between her government salary and declared net worth. The subpoenas specifically target their income tax returns, bank records, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings from 2023-2024. This move comes amid ongoing impeachment complaints against Duterte, which were declared sufficient in form and substance on March 4, 2026.
According to the 2024 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), Vice President Duterte and her husband declared 29 real properties worth P66.81 million, with 19 located in Davao City, mostly acquired between 2006 and 2015. Their total net worth was reported at P88.51 million, representing an increase of P17.45 million since June 2022. The couple also listed business interests in food manufacturing, trucking, trading, and legal services.
House prosecutors, led by Rep. Chel Diokno, requested the subpoenas to obtain documents including Duterte's SALNs, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records on suspicious transactions, and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) files related to alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. The committee also plans to subpoena Carpio's income tax returns alongside Duterte's, plus their joint financial transactions.
Vice President Duterte has denounced the subpoena requests as a "fishing expedition" by the House, claiming they reveal a lack of existing evidence and constitute the third such probe after 2024 budget hearings and Committee on Good Government sessions. She argues that investigations cannot search for proof to support already-filed complaints, calling the impeachment politically motivated. House officials, however, assert that evidence against Duterte is "essentially complete," including Commission on Audit (COA) reports on her confidential funds, a video of alleged threats, and SALNs, with subpoenas needed to access bank data protected by secrecy laws during active proceedings.
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