MANILA—Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s continued membership on the board of a private company while serving as the country’s second-highest official violates constitutional restrictions on business activities, the House prosecution said.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesperson for the House prosecution, cited corporate records presented during Duterte’s impeachment trial showing that she remained a stockholder and director of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. while serving as Vice President.

He said the records support the prosecution’s position that Duterte violated Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution, which prohibits the President, Vice President and Cabinet members from directly or indirectly participating in any business during their tenure and requires them to avoid conflicts of interest.

“Even without getting into details, that alone is a violation of the Constitution, her being the second highest official in the land,” Alonto Adiong said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

The prosecution presented the issue as part of its evidence under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which involves allegations of unexplained wealth and questions surrounding Duterte’s declared business interests.

Alonto Adiong said Duterte’s involvement went beyond simply owning shares in a private company.

“Hindi lang siya passive shareholder. She is also one of the directors of one of the companies that she declared in her SALN,” he said.

Duterte assumed the vice presidency on June 30, 2022. SEC records showed that she remained listed as a stockholder and board member of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. from 2022 to 2025.

The company’s Articles of Incorporation indicated that Duterte owned 50,000 of its 250,000 shares, giving her a 20% stake. Its General Information Sheets also continued to list her as a member of the board during her vice presidency.

SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario confirmed Duterte’s corporate positions based on documents submitted to the commission.

During redirect examination, Del Rosario also read from the company’s financial records, which indicated that its board was responsible for overseeing its financial reporting process.

The records further showed that the board approved and authorized the company’s 2023 and 2024 financial statements in March 2025.

Alonto Adiong said holding a corporate directorship while serving as Vice President was inconsistent with the constitutional restrictions applicable to the country’s highest executive officials.

“Dapat 100 percent po ’yung attention mo sa iyong opisina at sa pagseserbisyo sa ating taong-bayan,” he said. “Samakatuwid, dapat ’yung tiwala na ’yun ay masuklian ng 100 percent na attention at serbisyo sa taong-bayan.”

Asked whether Duterte’s corporate involvement alone could be enough to convict and remove her from office, Alonto Adiong said the prosecution believes the evidence supports its allegation but left the final determination to the Senate impeachment court.

“On that basis alone, I think she has already betrayed [public trust]. But then again, we don’t want to preempt,” Alonto Adiong said.

He added: “It will be the impeachment court who would decide with finality kung ano po ’yung magiging verdict nila. So without preempting the court, whether or not she’s guilty, that’s entirely up to the court.”