President Duterte’s Daughter Has A Law Firm That's Been Unregistered for 10 Years

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly said he is anti-corruption, and has lauded his administration's doubling down on a media company for alleged tax evasion charges. But it appears there are inconsistencies around Duterte and his family's own financial workings.

On Thursday, April 3, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published the first of a three-part report on the Duterte family’s assets for two decades. After checking their public records, including their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), the report raised questions about the growing wealth amassed by members of the Duterte family.

“How and why their fortunes are rising remain a mystery; the numbers do not seem to add up, and what they reveal in their SALNs breed riddles of incongruent details instead of clarifying questions,” the report said. The report reviewed a total of 22 SALNs that President Duterte filed since 1998, eight filed by his daughter and current Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio since 2007, and 11 filed by his son Paolo Duterte also since 2007.

One of the biggest red flags? Carpio & Duterte Lawyers, allegedly the law firm of Sara and her husband Manases R. Carpio, is not registered with the Security & Exchange Commission (SEC), which maintains the country's company registry. This means it is unclear how Carpio & Duterte Lawyers have been paying taxes since its birth over a decade ago – and if at all.

What complicates matters is while Sara holds public office, she and all other public servants are prohibited to practice their profession as per The Supreme Court and the Local Government Code. Sara however, has not explicitly stated that she has left the firm. As for her husband, Manases is a practicing lawyer having represented big companies in public cases.

Carpio & Duterte Lawyers, also known as “The Firm” according to legal sources by PCIJ, has listed Sara and her husband as “partners” in press releases and advertisements. During its grand launch last February 13, 2019 in Mandaue City, a local newspaper ran at least 13 half-page congratulatory ads from a variety of political and corporate entities.

According to the PCIJ, Sara’s net worth rose from P34.89 million ($670,000 USD) in 2016 to P44.83 million ($861,655.02 USD) in 2017—a year after she was elected mayor of Davao and also a year after her father was elected President.

In response to the report, Sara said she is opting not to respond “because there’s nothing there that’s worthy of an answer that my SALN doesn’t answer.”

As for the President, he slammed the reports as well. “You can read the minds of investigative journalists, it’s all about the money. They are being paid big amounts. They notice even my lawyering and motorcycle shop,” he said during a speech last Saturday. In the same speech, he also credited his late mother, Soledad, for his wealth.

Malou Mangahas, the executive director of the PCIJ, responded late Sunday that the President should keep his cool because the PCIJ only used official government records and the Duterte family's own SALNs – which they filed themselves.

"PCIJ had wished only for the Dutertes to offer clear, direct, straightforward replies to our queries. Instead of blaming PCIJ for the report, Mr. Duterte should turn his attention at his deputies, notably Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, for the failure of the Office of the President to attend to PCIJ's request letters, over the last five months,” Mangahas said in a statement.