MANILA — House impeachment prosecutors said the testimony of a defense witness confirming that Vice President Sara Z. Duterte received payments from GenCorp Industries Inc. had bolstered their case against her, citing a possible violation of the Constitution.

House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Suzette Balucanag-Punay, in-house counsel of GenCorp and Metro Chow Foods Corp., confirmed that Duterte had a financial interest in GenCorp despite not being listed as one of its stockholders.

“Maraming salamat po kay Atty. Suzette kasi pinrove po niya na meron pong business interest na nakukuha si Vice President sa GenCorp as opposed to what they are claiming na wala sa pangalan niya sa mga GIS (General Information Sheet) at sa mga shareholders,” Alonto Adiong said at a press briefing.

“It’s a clear violation of the Constitution, by the way,” added Alonto Adiong, who chairs the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.

Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution bars the president, vice president, Cabinet members and their deputies or assistants from participating in any business during their tenure. It also prohibits them from having financial interests in government contracts or franchises.

Adiong stressed that the admission regarding Duterte’s payments came from the defense’s own witness.

“Hindi po nanggagaling sa prosecution ’yung admission na si Vice President ay eksaktong tumanggap ng kanyang monthly from GenCorp. Galing po ’yan sa kanilang testigo, ah,” he said.

“So the word that I would probably use is, maraming salamat at mas pinatatag ninyo po ang aming kaso,” he added.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a House prosecutor and chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also thanked the defense for presenting witnesses whose testimonies, he said, reinforced the prosecution’s evidence.

“We would like to take this opportunity para pasalamatan po ’yung defense at ’yung mga testigo nila sa mga pinresenta po nilang testigo na lalo pong tumibay ang aming mga pinresentang ebidensya,” Chua said.

“Maraming salamat po, defense,” he added.

Punay earlier testified that Duterte received a total of ₱2.14 million from GenCorp between 2022 and 2025, during her term as vice president.

She described the payments as returns of capital from a “loose investment” in the Jollibee Times Square branch in Davao City, one of five branches operated by GenCorp.

While Punay said Duterte had no shares in GenCorp, she acknowledged that an investment made in 2007 had eventually been transferred to the company.

However, when questioned by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the presiding officer of the impeachment court, Punay admitted she could not verify the original investment amount or provide written records documenting it.

Duterte declared GenCorp in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for 2024 and 2025.

Forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera earlier estimated that Duterte had a 20% interest in GenCorp and attributed ₱212.63 million in alleged undeclared income to the company from 2023 to 2025.

The amount formed part of Cabrera’s findings of at least ₱817.87 million in alleged undeclared assets and unexplained wealth.