Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon has sharply criticized the legal defense of Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing her camp of misleading the public regarding the declaration of her wealth in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
Ridon questioned why the Vice President’s funds were categorized under “Others” instead of being clearly declared as cash on hand or in banks, as required by law.
He stressed that prior to 2019, Duterte had consistently declared her liquid assets under the proper line items.
“Alam niyo, parang pinaglololoko tayo nitong defense panel ng Pangalawang Pangulo. Kasi yung SALN law mismo, very specific ho yung provisions po roon. Nakalagay ho doon, cash on hand, cash in bank. Hindi ba? So hindi natin maintindihan bakit ito ginawang ‘Others’ bigla. Ito po mga pera, supposedly, on hand and in bank ng ating Pangalawang Pangulo,” Ridon said.
The lawmaker emphasized that the SALN guidelines have not changed since 2019, making the sudden shift in categorization questionable.
“So ano yung nagbago noong 2019 onwards? Lalo’t higit, hindi naman ho nagbago yung SALN law, hindi ba? Pareho lang naman yun eh, which requires a line item for cash deposits and cash on hand. So tingin na nila yung palusot. Wag nila gawing bobo yung mga tao,” he added.
The scrutiny comes after the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) flagged ₱6.8 billion in “covered and suspicious” transactions linked to the accounts of Duterte and her husband. Ridon broke down the figures, citing ₱4.4 billion in inflows and ₱1.5 billion in outflows.
He argued that the volume of wealth does not align with the couple’s known income streams as public servants and lawyers, especially given reports of struggling business ventures.
“Yan po yung kailangan ipaliwanag. Kasi yung inflows po, ang tanong ho doon, saan galing yung pera? Ano bang trabaho ng mag-asawa? Abogado, public servant, may mga naluluging negosyo. Paano ho nagluwal ng bilyun-bilyong piso ho na pumasok sa mga accounts,” Ridon remarked.
Beyond the source of funds, Ridon demanded transparency on where the ₱1.55 billion in outflows went—whether into real estate, investments, or personal expenses—and the whereabouts of the remaining ₱2.85 billion net balance.
“Ang understanding natin, nananatili po ito sa sistema. So kung nanatili po ito sa sistema, asan po yun? At kung nananatili po yun bakit wala po yung sa SALN ng ating Ikalawang Pangulo,” he questioned.
Ridon urged Duterte to stop relying on press releases and instead face the House Committee on Justice during its April 29 hearing, which is expected to be the final proceeding before the panel votes on whether the impeachment complaint against her should advance to the Senate for trial.