Sara Duterte's 'loose investment' still business participation — UP law expert

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Vice President Sara Duterte having a "loose investment" may still be considered participating in a business and transacting with that entity, according to a law expert.

Vice President Sara Duterte having a "loose investment" may still be considered participating in a business and transacting with that entity, according to a law expert.

Defense witness Suzette Balucanag-Punay, an in-house counsel for GenCorp. Industries Inc., said Duterte had a "loose investment" in one of five fast food branches owned by the firm.

Punay said the vice president did not receive dividends from 2022 to 2025 since there were no dividends declared by the company. What she received from GenCorp, Punay said, was monthly payouts as "return of capital" from 2022 to 2025 amounting to P2.14 million.

Speaking with GMA News during an intermission of the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, Paolo Tamase, associate dean of University of the Philippines College of Law, said the admission from the defense's own witnesses pointed to regular transactions between Duterte and GenCorp.

"Sinabi ng GenCorp witness today na wala namang dividend na in-issue 'yung GenCorp. If this pertains to the 'loose investment' na tinatawag nila, that is still arguably participation in business and hindi puwede i-downplay 'yung danger of not declaring these types of transactions, especially for officers with a history of local government," Tamase said.

(The GenCorp witness said today that what GenCorp issued did not have dividends. If this pertains to the 'loose investment' that they are saying, that is still arguably participation in business and the danger of not declaring these types of transactions could not be downplayed, especially for officers with a history of local government.)

"If the vice president, in fact had investments na hindi kasama sa SALN, and 'yung admissions na 'yun ay coming from their own witnesses, I think there's a case that this may even be worse than what the prosecution had already presented," he added, referring to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

(If the vice president, in fact, had investments that are not included in the SALN, and…

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