Manila: Blank values for corporations listed in Vice President Sara Duterte's statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) may have affected the computation of her declared wealth, the House prosecution told the Senate impeachment court Tuesday. Senate President Win Gatchalian raised the issue after noting that some corporate entries appeared without acquisition costs.
According to Philippines News Agency, the absence of declared values could impact the overall assessment of Duterte's net worth. House private prosecutor James Bryan Alih emphasized that shares of stock should reflect their corresponding value. "Yes, it can be a possibility. That's why precisely, Your Honor, it has to be declared para po klaro at the onset kung ano po talaga yung corresponding na amounts or value ng mga shares of stock (so it is clear from the start what the corresponding amounts or value of the shares of stock really are)," Alih stated.
Gatchalian inquired about the possibility of correcting or adding values to corporate entries if omissions occurred due to confusion. Karen Batu, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Ombudsman Central Records Division, clarified that SALNs are filed with the agency by April 30 and submitted to the repository by June 30, after which changes involving assets are no longer allowed except for clerical, form-related, or minimal errors.
Alih mentioned that good-faith errors might still be addressed through a corrective mechanism, but repeated declarations without correction could become material. "Ang problema lang po, pag tuloy-tuloy yung declaration, tapos wala naman pong correction (The problem is when the declaration continues and there is no correction)," he noted.
Batu, however, refrained from concluding whether Duterte's SALNs understated her net worth, stating that the Ombudsman's office only serves as a repository for the records. "I cannot make that inference, Your Honor, kasi (because) as I've said, the Office of the Ombudsman is merely a repository agency," Batu explained.
