Lawyers Tussle Over VP Spouse’s ‘Lavish’ Lifestyle

Some senator-judges expressed frustration over the prosecution’s grilling of a defense witness about the P256,882 credit card shoe purchases made by Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio as a treat for a junior basketball team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

During Day 43 of the Vice President’s impeachment trial on Thursday, Nov. 12, the senator-judges reacted to the prosecution’s theory that the Nike shoes purchase was excessive, and that even Carpio is expected to lead a modest life as required of public officials in the 1987 Constitution.

Article 11, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution reads: “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must, at all times, be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”

Sen. Pia Cayetano said she could not hide her “disdain” that the prosecution seemed to imply that it was wrong for the Vice President’s husband to treat young athletes with shoes, as testified by Chadrin Parian, Carpio’s friend and a “co-parent” for the junior basketball team Elite Philippines.

She pointed to her colleagues supportive of athletics – Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joel Villanueva – to show that even they as senators support local and young athletes with their needs.

For his part, Zubiri said the court should be hearing more substantive testimonies on the remaining impeachment article on undeclared and hidden wealth, saying they should “move on” from the issue about lavish expenses abroad.

Villanueva said he himself sponsored the Nike shoes of 30 basketball team players in the Senate, as he called on the court to move on to more important issues.

Sen. Robin Padilla meanwhile blew his top over the prosecution’s claim that the Duterte couple did not follow the constitutional provision on leading modest lives with Carpio’s Nike shoes credit card purchase and a P205,007.29 restaurant bill at Ginza Inakaya in Tokyo.

He downplayed Carpio’s P256,000 credit card purchases as not indicative of an expensive lifestyle, adding that he himself spent hundreds of thousands of pesos to help others in need.

Japan, Malaysia expenses explained

A long-time friend of Carpio who accompanied him on a Japan trip, and another companion on a separate Malaysia trip, told the Senate impeachment court on Thursday of the purchases made by the Vice President’s husband.

The defense team presented two witnesses – first Carpio’s college friend Anel Martin Antero followed by Parian.

Antero testified that on May 19, 2023, he, Carpio and nine others went to Japan. After visiting places and shopping, they had dinner at Ginza Inakaya Tokyo, where the meal reportedly amounted to P205,007.29. He said Carpio used his credit card to initially shoulder the bill with the agreement that they would pay him back.

Meanwhile, the 45-year-old Parian testified that he was among those who were with Carpio in Kuala Lumpur. On June 15, their Elite Philippines Basketball Team won and were treated to a meal in celebration. Afterwards, they proceeded to the Pavilion shopping center, where they entered a Nike store and bought shoes.

When asked by defense counsel Justin Gular who paid for the shoes, Parian said, “It was Attorney Carpio. I was near the counter when he made the purchase. It made me happy that I took a photo.”

When asked why Carpio paid for the shoes that amounted to P256,882.50, Parian said, “Maybe Carpio was happy with the outcome of the tournament.”

Exercise restraint in uncooperative witnesses

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero on Thursday reminded counsels and even the senators themselves to exercise restraint in grilling uncooperative witnesses and accord them the respect they deserve.

Escudero told the parties and the court that witnesses have rights under the Rules of Evidence, such as “to be protected from irrelevant, improper, or insulting questions and from harsh or insulting demeanor” and not to be forced to answer that would make them commit an offense or “degrade” their “reputation.”

“The chair wishes to emphasize that an answer which may be unsatisfactory is not inherently contemptible. Supreme Court cases have cautioned courts to use the power of contempt with the highest restraint. The chair wishes to remind the members of this court as well – including the presiding officer himself, who stated that his patience was wearing thin the other day – that we are sitting as senator judges in a trial,” Escudero said.

Vice President Duterte’s spokesperson Paolo Panelo yesterday expressed his support for Escudero’s remarks. “It is only right that the Senate Presiding Officer issued a reminder on the rights of the witnesses and even the behavior of the senator judges,” said Panelo.

Palace reacts

Asked to react to Duterte’s alleged earnings from investments, Palace press officer Claire Castro said the Constitution clearly states that a president, vice president, Cabinet members and their deputies should not have financial interests.

“Whatever the Constitution states should prevail,” Castro said in a media briefing on Thursday.

Castro declined to provide an assessment of the recent developments in the impeachment trial, saying the executive branch would just trust the process.

“We have to know the truth and those who are accountable should be held to account,” she added.

Meanwhile, House prosecutor Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua observed how Duterte’s defense team is focusing on minor expenses involving restaurant bills and shoe purchases while leaving hundreds of millions of pesos in alleged unexplained wealth unanswered.

He said the defense appeared more interested in portraying Duterte’s husband as generous than in challenging the prosecution’s financial evidence.

“They are covering up the bigger issue, the billions, the hundreds of millions to cover up the truth that we are looking for,” Chua said.

“So what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to appeal to the sympathy of the people,” he added.

VP impersonator attends trial

The Vice President may have snubbed her impeachment trial since it started, but not her impersonator, “Inday Tasha,” who made a surprise appearance on Day 43 on Thursday as a guest of the House prosecution team.

Inday Tasha, whose real name is Mark Geronda, was seen at the Senate hallway providing levity after the trial adjourned.

When asked why she was at the Senate, she quipped in an ambush interview that she just wanted to use the comfort room, then said “charot” (just kidding).

Inday Tasha ran into House prosecutor Leila de Lima, who smiled at seeing the impersonator. “You are beautiful. Please do not impeach me!” she told De Lima.

When asked to comment about the ongoing proceedings, Inday Tasha laughed and cited the “sub judice” rule, going into character and saying: “I cannot comment on that!”

Before leaving the Senate building, Inday Tasha met the Vice President’s defense counsel and spokesperson Michael Poa, who gamely agreed to pose for a photo.

Poa said the Vice President is aware of her impersonator and has no problem with it: “The VP is not easily offended.” – With Alexis Romero, Evelyn Macairan, Daphne Galvez