Ridon Challenges Sara Duterte to Explain Alleged P107.28 Million SALN Discrepancy

P71.38 Million in Bank Funds at Center of Disclosure Challenge

House prosecutor Terry Ridon has challenged Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte to explain bank deposits, investments and insurance holdings totaling about P107.28 million that prosecutors allege were missing from her 2023 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALN.

The prosecution's calculation combines P71.38 million in bank funds linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases "Mans" Carpio, with another P35.9 million in insurance and investments. Ownership and possible duplication among those holdings still require examination before a final amount can be assigned to any alleged omission.

The challenge concerns Article II, described in the proceedings as the remaining impeachment charge involving alleged unexplained wealth. Duterte's defense disputes the prosecution's interpretation of the financial records and was expected to begin presenting evidence when the Senate impeachment trial resumed on November 9, 2026.

The Senate impeachment court had issued no final decision on the complaint. The immediate dispute is over how financial records attributed to the couple should be matched against Duterte's declarations, including which assets belonged to whom and how they were valued.

Ridon said the alleged discrepancies remained unanswered as the defense prepared its evidence. He also argued that a possible prenuptial agreement was insufficient grounds to disregard financial records already presented to the court.

For readers following the large sums, three different measures matter: assets held at a particular date, net worth after debts are deducted, and money moving through accounts over many years. Each answers a different question, making the accounting behind the prosecution's claim central to the case.

How the P107.28 Million Claim Fits the SALN

Duterte's reported 2023 SALN figures list total assets of P80,058,841, liabilities of P2,550,000 and net worth of P77,508,841. The arithmetic is straightforward: subtracting the declared debts from the declared assets produces the stated net worth.

The prosecution's P107.28 million calculation is approximately P27.22 million higher than the entire P80.06 million asset total reported for that year. Prosecutors must still account for any holdings already included in the declaration when explaining the alleged omissions.

House prosecution adviser and spokesman Ace Barbers focused more narrowly on the approximately P14 million Duterte declared as other personal properties in 2023. He contrasted that figure with the couple's combined bank balances of about P71 million, placing the apparent gap between those two categories at roughly P57 million.

A SALN is a public official's declaration of what they own and owe. Total assets can include several kinds of property, while other personal properties is one component of that total. Matching a bank account or insurance policy to the correct entry requires more detail than the headline totals provide.

Bank Balances Changed Sharply Across Four Years

Prosecution figures describe combined bank balances for Duterte and Carpio of approximately P59 million in 2022, P71 million in 2023, P22 million in 2024 and P39 million in 2025. The corresponding amounts Duterte declared under other personal properties were approximately P13 million, P14 million, P21.13 million and P29 million.

The largest apparent difference in that comparison was in 2023. By 2024, the two reported amounts were much closer: P22 million in combined bank balances against P21.13 million in other personal properties, a difference of about P870,000. In 2025, the difference widened to roughly P10 million.

The combined bank balances fell by about P49 million between 2023 and 2024 before rising by about P17 million in 2025. Those movements make the dates attached to each balance important: a declaration for one year must be assessed against the relevant holdings for that year.

Barbers also described the couple's combined balances as exceeding P100 million in discussing the case, while the detailed prosecution figures put the 2023 bank component at P71.38 million. Ridon's approximately P107.28 million total includes insurance and investments alongside bank funds.

Barbers Demands a Witness to Challenge the Records

Barbers, the House prosecution adviser and trial spokesman, pressed the defense to bring forward a witness who could challenge the bank figures presented during the impeachment proceedings.

Will the banks' records change? Will they present a witness who will say that those outstanding balances are wrong?

His challenge places the accuracy of the balances at the center of the prosecution's public argument. The defense has rejected the prosecution's reading of the records, making its forthcoming evidence important to both the figures themselves and the way prosecutors have grouped them.

Barbers also called for a fuller response from Duterte's camp, framing disclosure as an obligation to the public.

Our citizens have the right to a clear and complete explanation from our Vice President's camp,

Ridon raised a related ownership issue by addressing the possibility of a prenuptial agreement. Such an agreement can set rules for spouses' property. Its relevance here would depend on its actual terms and how those terms relate to the accounts and other holdings attributed to Duterte and Carpio.

Insurance, Firearms and Property Broaden the Dispute

Barbers questioned the disclosure of more than bank deposits. He identified insurance policies, investments, business interests, real properties in Davao City and on Samal Island, and 51 registered firearms valued at P7.22 million as matters requiring an explanation.

The insurance and investment component is particularly important to Ridon's calculation. At P35.9 million, it accounts for approximately one third of the P107.28 million total. Establishing what each product represented, who owned it and how its value was recorded would help determine how much belonged in the relevant declaration.

An insurance policy can involve several different amounts, including premiums paid, a benefit payable under specified conditions and, for some policies, a cash value. Identifying the amount used in the prosecution's calculation is necessary to make a meaningful comparison with a SALN entry.

The firearms and property questions expand the disclosure dispute beyond cash. Each item requires its own accounting: the owner, the relevant year, the assigned value and the place where it appeared, or allegedly failed to appear, in the declaration.

Why the Larger Figures Need Separate Accounting

Forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera identified at least P817.87 million in alleged undeclared assets and unexplained wealth covering 2022 through 2025. He testified that a broader calculation could reach P1.5 billion, subject to adjustments.

Ridon's P107.28 million claim concerns specified bank funds, insurance and investments associated with 2023. Cabrera's larger calculation covers several years and a wider set of alleged assets. Readers need the year and the items attached to each figure to understand the scale of the accusation.

The prosecution also presented Anti-Money Laundering Council records covering approximately P4.4 billion in reported financial transactions from 2007 through 2025. Transaction totals measure money moving through the financial system, while an account balance measures the amount held at a particular time.

For example, money transferred between accounts can appear in transaction records more than once as it moves. The accounting task is to trace those movements, identify the owners and separate transfers from newly acquired funds. That work also helps address the possible overlap already acknowledged in the P107.28 million calculation.

The Financial and Hearing Timeline

The dispute spans several annual declarations and a scheduled return to the Senate impeachment court. The main dates and figures are:

• 2022: Combined bank balances were approximately P59 million, while declared other personal properties were approximately P13 million.
• 2023: Prosecutors identified P71.38 million in bank funds and P35.9 million in insurance and investments. Reported SALN net worth was P77,508,841.
• June 27, 2024: The reported filing date for the 2023 SALN.
• 2024: Combined bank balances were approximately P22 million. Reported SALN net worth rose to P88,512,370.
• 2025: Combined bank balances were approximately P39 million. Reported SALN net worth was P98,656,131.
• November 9, 2026: The scheduled resumption of the impeachment trial, with the defense expected to present evidence on Article II.

Duterte's reported net worth rose by P11,003,529 between 2023 and 2024, then by P10,143,761 between 2024 and 2025. Together, those changes amount to P21,147,290, or approximately 27.3 percent above the 2023 figure.

The published 2025 SALN entry carries a filing date of April 26, 2027, which falls after the scheduled November 2026 hearing. That filing date requires verification before the entry can be placed confidently within the trial chronology.

What the Defense Presentation Must Address

The defense's next substantive opportunity was expected to come with its presentation of evidence on Article II. Its response would need to address the prosecution's interpretation of the records, including the ownership of accounts and holdings, their values and any amounts already reflected in Duterte's declarations.

The practical issue for the impeachment court is whether the financial evidence supports the alleged disclosure failures. Resolving that issue requires a record of identifiable assets and applicable declarations, with adjustments for any duplication. The public dispute has produced several striking totals; the court's task is to assess the underlying evidence attached to them.

Key Points

• Ridon challenged Duterte over P107.28 million in allegedly undeclared bank funds, insurance and investments associated with 2023.
• The calculation combines P71.38 million in bank funds with P35.9 million in insurance and investments, subject to ownership and overlap checks.
• Duterte's reported 2023 SALN listed P80.06 million in assets and P77.51 million in net worth.
• The defense disputes the prosecution's interpretation and was expected to present evidence from November 9, 2026.
• The P817.87 million allegation covers several years, while P4.4 billion refers to reported transactions from 2007 through 2025.
• The Senate impeachment court had issued no final decision on the unexplained wealth complaint.