Sara witness unsure if Samal property matches her SALN

CAGAYAN de Oro City - A defense witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial could not confirm whether a disputed property in Samal, Davao del Norte, was the same one declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), raising questions about the defense’s claim that the property had been properly disclosed.

Island Garden City of Samal Assessor Engr. John Kenneth Enumerables admitted this during Tuesday’s cross-examination after private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. pointed out differences in the property's location, acquisition date, and purchase price.

Asked whether the property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. 142-2019013134 was the same one listed in Duterte’s SALN, Enumerables answered: “I’m not certain, sir.”

The property is registered under Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and is officially located in Barangay San Isidro, Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal.

However, Duterte’s 2025 SALN identified the property cited by the defense as being in Barangay Matanos, also in Kaputian.

Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero earlier questioned the discrepancy in the two locations.

“Pero pagdating sa lokasyon, pareho po ba?” Escudero asked.

“Hindi po,” Enumerables replied.

The assessor said he linked the two records mainly because they carried the same assessed value of ₱346,960 and market value of ₱4,956,600.

But when Escudero asked if he had any other basis for identifying them as the same property, Enumerables said he had none.

He explained that the SALN did not contain the title number or Assessment of Real Property (ARP) number that could establish the property's identity. Escudero noted that SALNs do not require title numbers.

Tolosa also questioned differences in the property's acquisition details.

Duterte’s SALN listed an acquisition cost of ₱4.041 million in 2013. However, the deed of absolute sale showed a selling price of ₱3.45 million and was executed on March 15, 2018.

Enumerables confirmed the discrepancies. He also acknowledged that the land titles he presented had no annotation of a contract to sell.

The defense presented Enumerables to support its position that the Samal property had been declared in Duterte’s SALN and that the prosecution's allegation was false.

However, his testimony did not establish that the property in the title and the one listed in the SALN were the same asset.

His appearance followed Monday’s testimony of Davao City Assessor Engr. Jaime Adalin, who was presented to support the defense's claim that another disputed property in Matina Crossing, Davao City, had been declared.

The House prosecution is challenging whether the properties identified in official land records correspond to the assets declared in Duterte’s SALNs.

These properties form part of the prosecution’s allegations that Duterte accumulated at least ₱817.87 million in undeclared assets and unexplained wealth from 2022 to 2025.