Pia, Robin clash with prosecutors over Carpio's basketball team expenses

Senator-judges Pia Cayetano and Robin Padilla reprimanded the prosecution on Thursday for calling into question a P256,882 Nike purchase by Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Atty. Mans Carpio, for a children’s basketball team.

“Is it the prosecution’s intention to make a parent relinquish their parental duty in terms of rearing their child in the manner they feel is the best to promote character, leadership, teamwork, just because one of the parents becomes a public official?” Cayetano asked private prosecutor Reynaldo Robles.

This came after Robles cross-examined Chadrin Parian over Carpio’s credit card transaction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and whether it constitutes evidence that the couple is living ostentatiously amid allegations of P818 million in undeclared assets.

Carpio’s and Parian’s children are members of the basketball team Elite Philippines, which competed in an international tournament in Kuala Lumpur in June last year.

He said Carpio sponsored the shoes as a reward for the kids after they won the championship, although other parents would “take turns” covering the team's expenses.

Cayetano expressed strong disdain for the prosecution, saying they are trying to discourage parents from supporting their children and stop sports advocates like her from helping Filipino athletes in need of financial support during training and international competition merely because they are public officials.

“If people like us who have the means to help, will be embarrassed to help because you will just flag us for doing so,” she argued.

Look in the mirror before pointing fingers

Padilla, meanwhile, dared the prosecution to practice what they preach, saying the constitutional prohibition on lavish lifestyles must be applied to all public officials, even lawmakers who are also prosecutors in Duterte’s trial.

He asked Robles to name members within their own ranks who own luxury cars worth P16 to P22 million, including a black Mercedes-Benz wagon, but the prosecutor said he was not privy to that.

“Maybe we should look at our colleagues first before we bark,” he stressed.

Padilla urged fellow lawmakers to support the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill so that those who truly fail to comply with laws requiring public officials and their families to lead modest lifestyles are exposed.

Carpio’s credit card transactions became a subject of scrutiny in the impeachment trial of her wife amid allegations that they amassed unexplained wealth, non-disclosure of business interests in SALNs, and purported remittances from China.

Robles noted that aside from Kuala Lumpur, the basketball team and their parents traveled to several countries, including Korea, Singapore, and Japan, for tournaments in less than a year, from June 2025 to February this year.

Parian said the team has sponsors, who cover the players’ airfare tickets and accommodations, though he said he is not privy to their identities.

Prior to Parian, the defense also presented Atty. Anel Martin Antero—a close friend of Carpio, who works at his law firm—to testify on the P205,007.29 transaction in Japan.

Antero said the restaurant bill was for a group of 11. Carpio “volunteered” to pay for it using his credit card, though they later reimbursed their respective shares.

The prosecution, however, questioned the lack of photos or other bank transfers showing the total bill was indeed split evenly.

Day 43 of the trial lasted barely three hours after Senator-judges Migz Zubiri and Joel Villanueva urged the prosecution to move on from the credit card transactions and instead focus on witnesses who could provide more substantive answers about alleged transactions between Carpio-linked firms and China.