Ridon: Sara Duterte wealth rose by P70 million from 2008 to 2024

The wealth of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte increased by about P70 million or 378 percent over 16 years, from 2008 to 2024, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon revealed Wednesday during House deliberations on the fourth impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

Ridon disclosed the figures during the House Committee on Justice hearing, where lawmakers were discussing allegations that Duterte accumulated “unexplained wealth,” one of the grounds cited in the impeachment complaint.

Ridon, who chairs the House public accounts committee, said Duterte’s net worth in 2008 was P18.493 million and slightly declined to about P18 million in 2009.

“At this point… I will read into the record, Madam Chair, the totality of the net worth of the Vice President from 2008. 2008, filed December 31, 2008, net worth, P18,493,617. SALN 2009, net worth, P18,000,281,” he said.

Justice committee Chair Atty. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas then asked Ridon about the source of the figures.

“Well, we have the references of the SALNs themselves…and some of the available public information relating to the SALN,” Ridon replied.

Ridon said the figures were based on Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth or SALNs.

“I will present for the record the most recent SALN that had been released by the Ombudsman, Madam Chair. I think it is something that can be flashed on the screen. But I think what should be noted is the original SALN net worth, which was P18 million,” he said.

Luistro then directed the justice committee secretariat to display copies of Duterte’s SALNs for 2023 and 2024.

“Ayan, net worth po for 2023, P77,508,841 pesos. This is for 2023, Madam Chair. Can we flash 2024? P88,512,370.22. So we are submitting for the record because these are public records which our colleagues had actually asked for,” Ridon said.

He noted that comparing the earliest available SALN in 2008 with the 2024 declaration shows a substantial increase in Duterte’s net worth.

“And if we will base it from the original SALN at 2008 to the 2024 SALN, Madam Chair, it is an increase. So, we leave it to the Justice Committee as to whether or not we would consider it as a case of unexplained wealth, which is essentially part of the impeachment offenses we would want to proceed with at this point,” he alleged.

Records show that Duterte served as mayor of Davao City in 2008 and 2009. She held the post from 30 June 2007 to 30 June 2010.

Ridon also pointed out that the wording used in the impeachment complaint on alleged illegal wealth mirrors language used in the impeachment case against late Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“We are stating it for the record because this is the precise wording of the Corona articles of impeachment which had proceeded to the Senate and had resulted in a conviction. So, I think it is very clear that this is the process that we have to undertake and what the endorsers would want to undertake during the process of full proceedings can be undertaken,” he said.

He added that the absence of annexes in the complaint should not prevent the proceedings from moving forward.

“It would be good had the annexes been there but that is actually not in fact required for full impeachment proceedings to proceed,” Ridon said.

He noted that the allegation of unlawful wealth against Corona initially lacked specific evidence and was later supported by documents during the Senate trial.

Before Ridon presented the figures, some lawmakers, including Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, asked for more specific details such as bank records to support the allegation that Duterte accumulated wealth beyond her legal income.

Luistro, however, said impeachment complainants cannot be expected to present bank deposit records at this stage.

“They are constrained by the Bank Secrecy Law,” she said.

She explained that the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, has the authority to request such documents.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., one of the endorsers of the complaint, also said additional evidence could be obtained during a Senate trial if the House impeaches the Vice President.

He recalled that similar evidence surfaced during the Senate impeachment trial of Corona and other cases.