Both the prosecution and defense established that an Office of the Ombudsman official could testify about what Vice President Sara Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) contained but could not personally verify whether the information was accurate.

During Tuesday’s impeachment trial, the House prosecution panel placed on record alleged discrepancies it found in Duterte’s SALNs from 2007 to 2025.

The documents were kept by the Ombudsman’s Records Division, headed by officer-in-charge Atty. Karen Batu. Private prosecutor Atty. James Bryan Alih questioned Batu about the basis of her testimony.

“You mentioned that you had no personal knowledge of the SALNs and you just merely based your testimony today on the records that you have, is that correct?” Alih asked.

“That’s correct. Everything that I said was based on what was written on SALNs,” Batu replied.

Alih also recalled Batu’s earlier testimony that public officials must execute their SALNs under oath.

Batu confirmed that Duterte was identified as the signatory of the documents and that she swore to the truthfulness of the information stated in them.

The questions came after the defense challenged the prosecution’s presentation of Batu in connection with Duterte’s declared assets and net worth.

The House Committee on Justice earlier noted that Duterte’s net worth increased from P7.25 million in 2007 to P98.65 million in 2024.