MANILA— Lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, maintained that credit card transactions presented during his wife’s impeachment proceedings were paid using his personal funds and had no connection to public money or the vice president’s official functions.

In a statement, Carpio denied allegations linking the expenditures to government funds, insisting that the transactions were personal expenses incurred for specific purposes.

“There is nothing illegal about spending my own hard-earned money. No public funds were used for these personal expenses,” Carpio said.

He said Duterte had no involvement in the transactions and was not present when the expenses were incurred.

“Vice President Sara Duterte had nothing to do with these expenditures and was not present when they were incurred,” he said.

Carpio explained that the charges incurred during a trip to Japan involved a large group whose members later divided the costs among themselves. He said he used his credit card because several participants did not have cash available at the time.

“The expenses in Japan were incurred during a trip with a large group. Since many of us did not have cash on hand at the time, I used my credit card to settle the expenses, and we shared the cost among ourselves,” Carpio explained.

He added that purchases from a sportswear brand were intended for senior basketball players and were also shared expenses. Transactions in Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, were related to a junior basketball team that won a championship.

Carpio argued that the transactions should be evaluated based on their actual circumstances, including the source of the money and the purpose of the purchases, rather than assumptions associating them with Duterte.

“These were personal expenditures made with my own money for specific purposes. They should not be misrepresented as expenses of Vice President Sara Duterte or linked to her official functions,” he said.

“The issue is straightforward: these were my personal expenses, paid for with my own resources, and not with public funds,” Carpio added.

He also called on the public to consider the facts surrounding the transactions instead of drawing conclusions based on insinuations.

“Any discussion of these transactions should be based on the actual circumstances, the source of the money, and the purpose of the expenditures—not on insinuations that have no factual basis,” he said.

Carpio further raised concerns over the disclosure of personal financial records, warning that such information could be used to undermine a person’s reputation.

“We are now treading on dangerous grounds where your personal credit card expenses can be made public or disclosed by questionable subpoenas and will be used as propaganda or throw shade at your character and integrity,” he said.

The credit card transactions were presented during Friday’s impeachment proceedings against Duterte, which remain ongoing before the Senate. The complaints against the vice president include allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of public funds, grave threats and bribery.

Carpio has previously described himself as collateral damage in the impeachment proceedings, saying he felt he was the one being impeached. He also emphasized the role of faith and prayer in helping his family navigate the political controversy surrounding their assets and business records.