VP Sara Duterte, Mans Carpio Cannot Simply Separate Assets, Properties -- Law Expert

Vice President Sara Duterte and her spouse, Atty. Manases "Mans" Carpio, cannot simply separate their assets and properties as the Senate, acting as impeachment court, investigates their financial and tax records, a constitutional law expert said on Sunday. "Ang ating batas po kasi ngayon, kapag mag-asawa, 'yung kanilang ari-arian, ay absolute community of property. Ibig sabihin, sa batas, kung ano 'yung ari-arian, income, pera nu'ng lalaki, may-ari din 'yung asawang babae," said former Integrated Bar of Philippines president Atty. Domingo Cayosa in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB. (Under our laws today, when couples are married, their property falls under an absolute community of property. This means that by law, whatever property, income, or money the husband has, the wife is also an owner of.) "Pangalawa, 'yung batas sa SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth), 'yung requirement sa public official, kapag may asawa ka, isasama mo 'yung assets at liabilities ng asawa mo sa SALN. Required 'yan dahil sa absolute community of property," he added. (Secondly, under the law on the SALN, the requirement for a public official is that if you are married, you must include the assets and liabilities of your spouse in your SALN. That is required because of the absolute community of property.) The net worth of Duterte and her husband reached more than P98 million in 2025, an 11.46% increase from their 2024 net worth based on their joint SALN. The Duterte-Carpio couple declared a net worth of P98,656,131.20 in 2025. The net worth they declared in the prior year was P88 million. On the other hand, their declared total assets was P122,797,727.20, which is a 24.72% increase from the P98 million in 2024. Cayosa noted that if couples want to separate their assets from each other, there should be an agreement before the wedding. "Kung gusto niyo magkahiwalay ang inyong ari-arian, magkapirmahan kayo bago kayo ikasal," he said. (If you want your properties to be separate, you should sign an agreement before you get married.) The Senate impeachment court on July 30 formally received the financial and tax records of Duterte and Carpio in relation to her ongoing impeachment trial. It has also received the documentary evidence from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). Carpio recently lodged multiple complaints at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office against members of the House justice committee. The legal action stems from the unauthorized exposure of personal and spousal bank transaction records, which Carpio's camp argues violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Bank Secrecy Law, and the Data Privacy Act of 2012. —KG, GMA News