A House prosecutor on Monday questioned the capacity of the first defense witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial to establish that a real estate property allegedly omitted from her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) was actually declared.
Lawyer Jay Tolosa, counsel for the House prosecution panel, raised the objection after defense counsel Lindon Bacquel presented Davao City Assessor Engr. Jaime Adalin as the first witness for Duterte’s legal team.
In his offer, Bacquel said Adalin’s testimony would establish that the property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. 146-20240110775 “is disclosed by the Vice President in her SALNs.”
He also said the witness would prove that the “prosecution’s accusation that the respondent did not disclose the real property covered by TCT No. 146-20240110775 in her SALNs is malicious and completely false.”
After being recognized by impeachment court presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero, Tolosa strongly objected to these statements.
He said the prosecution was “willing to stipulate regarding the position of the witness and that he has personal knowledge regarding the issuance of the tax declaration covered by the TCT mentioned during the offer.”
However, he objected to the second offer, saying Adalin could not establish that the property identified in Duterte’s SALN was the same one covered by the TCT.
“With respect to offer No. 2, that the testimony of this witness that that TCT was disclosed in the SALN of the Vice President, we object to that for being improper and misleading,” Tolosa said.
“There is no way that this witness could prove that that property indicated in the SALN is the same property covered by the subject TCT,” he added.
Tolosa said Adalin could possibly establish that the two properties were located in the same barangay, but this would not prove they were the same, citing discrepancies in their declared acquisition values.
He also took exception to the defense’s characterization of the prosecution’s allegation as malicious and completely false.
“No. 3, we also vehemently oppose their characterization that our position that that property covered by the TCT was not disclosed in the SALN was maliciously and completely false. We take the strongest exceptions to these accusations, Your Honor. It cannot be said that it’s completely false because again, just a mere facial examination of those two documents would show that there are obvious discrepancies between the two,” he said.
The property in question is a lot in Matina, Davao City, purchased by Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, for PHP6 million in July 2024.
Carpio also bought a lot worth PHP3.4 million in the Island Garden City of Samal in March 2018.
Based on documents and testimonies presented by the prosecution, both properties were not declared in the Vice President’s SALNs. (Jose Cielito M. Reganit/PNA)