Barbers says Sara Duterte’s ‘simple life’ claim challenged by wealth evidence

The image of Vice President Sara Duterte living a simple life has been challenged by evidence presented by the House prosecution panel during her ongoing impeachment trial, former lawmaker Robert Ace Barbers said.

Barbers, the House trial spokesperson and impeachment team adviser, said prosecutors had sufficiently supported allegations under Article II of the impeachment complaint concerning Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.

“The hidden wealth or unexplained wealth of Vice President Sara Duterte has been uncovered based on our prosecution team,” Barbers said in Filipino during a press conference on Tuesday.

“They said VP Sara was a simple billionaire. The lifestyle seems humble, but their pockets contain billions,” he added.

Barbers cited figures presented by prosecutors on the combined net worth of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.

He emphasized the importance of presenting evidence involving bank accounts, alleged business interests and records from government agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Barbers said he believed the defense would have difficulty challenging the evidence through its own witnesses.

“Personally, I think they will have difficulties to rebut the documents because number one, the documents did not come from the prosecution. This came directly from them,” he said.

“The bank records, can that be changed? Could they present a witness that would say that the outstanding balances are wrong?” he added.

Regarding Duterte’s alleged business interests, Barbers questioned whether the defense could present evidence showing that she had divested her shares.

‘90 witnesses not enough’

The impeachment trial is scheduled to resume on 9 November, when Duterte’s lawyers are expected to begin presenting counter-evidence.

Defense team spokesperson Michael Poa previously said Duterte’s camp intended to call around 90 witnesses during the proceedings.

Although Barbers said he was not privy to the defense’s witness lineup, he maintained that the number of witnesses might not be enough to refute the documents presented by prosecutors.

“I believe that even with their 90 witnesses, they will still find it difficult to rebut or refute the documents that came from banks, from the BIR, from the AMLC, from the Ombudsman, in the [Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth],” he said.