Credit Card Expenses Cited at Impeachment Trial Did Not Involve Public Funds, Philippine VP's Husband Says
Key Takeaways
- •Manases R. Carpio, the spouse of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, said the credit card transactions cited in her impeachment trial involved no public funds and should not be attributed to her or linked to her official functions.
- •His response came after financial forensic analyst Alexander B. Cabrera told the impeachment court on Oct. 9 that several single-purchase transactions linked to the second couple were flagged as unusual or suspicious.
- •The flagged spending totaled roughly P690,000, comprising about P300,000 at Nike SM Davao Annex, P130,000 at MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya in Japan, and P260,000 at Nike Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
- •Carpio explained that the Japan expenses were later shared among group trip participants who lacked cash, the SM Davao purchase covered senior basketball players, and the Kuala Lumpur purchases were for junior players who won a championship in Malaysia.
- •Duterte, who has served as vice-president since 2022, was impeached by the House in February 2025 on charges including alleged misuse of public funds, with the Senate sitting as the impeachment court for the trial.
MANILA — The husband of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Sunday rejected the House prosecution's attempt to link his personal credit card expenses to the country's second-highest official, saying the transactions discussed during the impeachment trial did not involve public funds.
In a statement, Manases R. Carpio, known as the Philippines' second gentleman, said purchases made in Japan, in Kuala Lumpur, and at the shoe brand Nike should not be attributed to the Vice-President.
His response followed testimony from financial forensic analyst Alexander B. Cabrera, who told the impeachment court on Oct. 9 about several single-purchase credit card transactions linked to the second couple that were flagged as unusual or suspicious. These included two transactions at Nike SM Davao Annex in Davao del Sur amounting to around P300,000, two other transactions at MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya worth about P130,000, and a single purchase at Nike Pavilion Kuala Lumpur for around P260,000 — roughly P690,000 in all. The figures were denominated in Philippine pesos.
Mr. Carpio explained that the expenses in Japan were incurred because many participants of a group trip to the country had no cash on hand, with the costs later shared among the attendees. The Nike purchase at SM Davao was likewise a shared expense, he said, intended for senior basketball players, while the Kuala Lumpur purchases were for junior basketball players who won a championship in Malaysia.
“They should not be misrepresented as expenses of Vice-President Sara Duterte or linked to her official functions,” Mr. Carpio said.
Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has served as vice-president since 2022. She was impeached by the House of Representatives in February 2025 on charges that included the alleged misuse of public funds, and the Senate sits as the impeachment court for the trial. It is in that setting that the dispute over whether the flagged card spending was personal or official will be tested, with the court's assessment of Mr. Cabrera's testimony against Mr. Carpio's shared-expense account shaping how the transactions figure in the case.
— Francessca S. Abalos, BusinessWorld
Source: Credit card expenses did not involve public funds, VP's spouse says
