Senator-judges must assess basis of expert’s findings — Gatchalian

Senator-judges must closely examine the basis of financial forensic expert Alexander Cabrera’s findings in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before drawing conclusions from his testimony, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Saturday.

Gatchalian said the financial records presented by Cabrera must form a logical, evidence-based account that the senator-judges can independently assess, rather than be accepted solely because they came from an expert witness.

“Hindi naman porket sinabi ng forensic expert or financial forensic expert ay maniniwala tayo lahat,” Gatchalian said in a radio interview.

“Importante na yung kuwento na yun ay logical. Ibig sabihin, naiintindihan ng tao at may basehan,” he added.

The Senate President said Cabrera’s testimony was significant because it consolidated financial information obtained from multiple sources, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, banks, insurance companies and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Gatchalian, who previously chaired the Senate committees on economic affairs, ways and means, and finance, said interpreting the financial records required specialized expertise, particularly because the data covered nearly 18 years.

Cabrera told the impeachment court on Friday that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, had P817.87 million in alleged undeclared assets and income from 2022 to 2025. His estimate covered cash, properties, income and business interests attributed to the couple.

‘Collateral damage’

As the senator-judges examine the financial records presented in the impeachment trial, Carpio said he felt he was being persecuted amid the impeachment proceedings against his wife, describing himself as “collateral damage” as their financial records came under scrutiny.

Speaking at a 1Bukidnon4 Sara Duterte Movement event in Valencia City on Thursday, 8 October, Carpio said he felt he was being treated unfairly.

“I feel like I’m being persecuted a bit now,” Carpio said in Bisaya in a video posted by local broadcaster RMN-Malaybalay on Facebook.

“Everything in the government is being used. It’s as if I’m the one who was impeached,” he added.

The Senate impeachment trial has brought financial records involving Duterte and Carpio under scrutiny, with witnesses from government agencies and banks testifying about their accounts, transactions and declared income.