VICE President Sara Duterte remained a stockholder and director of a private corporation after assuming office in 2022, according to corporate records presented during the resumption of her impeachment trial on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario testified that Duterte held a 20 percent stake in Metro City Chow Foods Corp. and remained a member of its board of directors from 2022 to 2025.
Del Rosario said Duterte was among the incorporators of Metro City Chow Foods when it was established in 2016 and had served on its board since 2018.
During direct examination, private prosecutor Erwin Matib cited Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits the President, Vice President, Cabinet members and their deputies or assistants from holding other offices or employment, practicing another profession or participating in any business during their tenure.
Del Rosario, however, said the SEC had not been directed to flag or report government officials who remained involved in private corporations while in office.
“Wala pong ganoong direktiba sa amin na kinakailangan naming iulat ‘yung mga opisyal na hindi dapat mag-may-ari, maging participant ng isang kumpanya,” Del Rosario said.
He added that the SEC could report such cases if it were given guidelines or directives specifying where such reports should be submitted.
Corporate records presented during the trial also covered the financial performance of businesses linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Metro City Chow Foods recorded P309.01 million in sales from 2017 to 2025 but posted a net loss of P3.15 million and declared no dividends during the period.
Gencorp Industries Inc., which Duterte identified as a business interest in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), reported P1.04 billion in sales from 2021 to 2024 and P8 million in net income. It also reported no dividends.
An SEC summary presented during the proceedings showed that several other companies linked to Duterte or Carpio likewise reported no declared dividends.
Duterte and Carpio’s declared net worth increased from around P71 million in 2022, when Duterte assumed the vice presidency, to more than P98 million in 2025.
Speaking during the impeachment court’s lunch break, House prosecution spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong questioned how the increase in Duterte’s declared net worth compared with the financial records of companies linked to her.
“Walang bumabalik sa kanya na kita. At bakit mahalaga ito, because we will compare her corporate earnings and dividends as a shareholder against what she declares in her SALN,” Adiong said.
“Bakit ganoon kataas ang declared worth niya kung wala naman siyang natatanggap mula sa mga kumpanyang ito o kung nalulugi ang mga ito?” he added.
Adiong also argued that Duterte’s alleged failure to divest from her business interests constituted a violation of the Constitution. This remains part of the prosecution’s case against the Vice President.
Duterte’s defense, meanwhile, challenged portions of the SEC presentation during Monday’s proceedings, arguing that a summary of her shareholdings could mislead the public because some of the figures referred to corporate transactions rather than transactions personally made by Duterte.
Under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, Duterte faces allegations involving unexplained wealth, false SALN declarations, failure to divest and the maintenance of prohibited business interests.
Among the firms Duterte declared to have interests to in her SALNs since 2007 includes:
Davao Emerging Taipan Corporation
Davao Bounty Times Food Corp.
City Hall King Chow Foods Corp.
Sgt. Fortune Horse Corp
Cykt Inc.
Zelta Matiem Salon
Davao New Royal Taipan Corporation
Davao Bounty Times Food Corp
Metro City Chow Foods Corp
Timesquare Bee Foods Corp
3kids Trucking Services Inc
Zelta Matiem Salon
Tapang At Malasakit Alliance For The Philippines Inc.
Carpio Duterte Lawyers
Cale 88 Foods Corp.
888 Bistro
Madayaw Fisheries
Mati City Ice Plant And Cold Storage
Amianan Shores Inc.
Geometry Security And Investigation Agency Inc.
Gencorp Industries Inc.
Cabletow 88 Shipping and Marine Services Inc.
(TPM/SunStar Philippines)