Politics · Philippines Bureau
Property registrars say Carpio land buys absent from VP's asset disclosures
Two property officials testified Thursday that land parcels purchased by Vice President Sara Duterte's spouse in Davao Region do not appear in her official statement of assets and liabilities, raising questions about financial disclosure compliance.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Two land registry officials testified before an inquiry panel that real estate acquisitions made by Atty. Manases Carpio, spouse of Vice President Sara Duterte, were not documented in the vice president's statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN).
Davao City Register of Deeds IV Kathy Florence Baldonado and a deputy register of deeds from Samal testified Thursday that property transactions involving the parcels in the Davao Region had been recorded in land registry offices but did not correspond with publicly filed SALN documents.
The SALN is a mandatory annual financial disclosure required of all public officials under Philippine law. The form serves as a public record of assets, liabilities, and net worth to monitor unexplained wealth accumulation among government servants.
The testimony adds to ongoing scrutiny of the vice president's financial disclosures. The inquiry panel has been examining potential discrepancies between registered property holdings and officially reported assets.
Both registrars provided documentation supporting their testimony regarding the property transactions in question. The findings have prompted calls for clarification from the Office of the Vice President regarding the omissions in filed SALN documents.