VICE President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, have a combined total of 51 registered firearms with an estimated current market value of P7,220,370, records presented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) during Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday indicate.
Police Maj. Joericson Sangalang of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) testified that Duterte owns 22 registered firearms valued at P2,184,550, while Carpio owns 29 firearms valued at P5,035,820. The figures were presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment involving allegations of unexplained wealth.
The issue surrounding Duterte’s firearms is not the number of firearms she owns or her authority to possess them, but whether these assets were properly declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), House of Representatives lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said on Monday.
Luistro said firearms are considered properties that must be disclosed in SALN declarations.
The prosecution presented the firearm records as part of its Article II case, focusing on whether the assets were properly reflected in Duterte’s previous SALNs. The defense argued that newer SALN guidelines specifically requiring firearm declarations should not apply retroactively, but Luistro maintained that Duterte must still explain how the firearms were declared in earlier filings.
Moreover, Sangalang clarified that the amounts reflected the PNP-FEO’s current market-survey prices and were not the actual acquisition costs of the firearms. The valuation did not establish how much Duterte or Carpio originally paid for their firearms.
House prosecutor and San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora asked Sangalang how the FEO determined the prices listed in its certifications. ‘These figures are based on a market survey conducted by our office,’ Sangalang said.
He explained that the FEO gathered pricing information from firearm dealers and gun-store representatives located near the agency’s storage area. The prices reflected the estimated market value of the firearms at the time the certification was issued.
When asked when the valuation applied, Sangalang answered, ‘As of today. That is what is indicated at the bottom of our certification.’
During the hearing, the prosecution selected several firearm entries from the certifications instead of presenting every item individually. For Duterte’s records, Sangalang identified an MandP 9 Compact pistol valued at P99,000, a Winchester rifle valued at P120,000, and an STI Legend pistol valued at P167,000.
The prosecution also asked about three Bushmaster rifles listed under Duterte’s name. Sangalang stated that each rifle had a current market-survey value of P200,000. He also identified an HK rifle in Duterte’s record with an estimated market value of P300,000.
For Carpio’s firearms, Sangalang cited several examples, including a Metro pistol valued at P320,000 and an APC rifle valued at P600,500. When asked about an HK416 rifle listed in Carpio’s certification, he stated that its estimated current market value was P900,000.
After the selected firearm entries were presented, Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero asked Sangalang to provide the total valuation. The witness confirmed that Duterte’s firearms were valued at P2,184,550, while Carpio’s firearms were valued at P5,035,820, for a combined total of P7,220,370.
The firearms listed in the records include pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles. Among them are four Class A light weapons with fully automatic capabilities-three registered to Duterte and one registered to Carpio.
Sangalang testified that Duterte owns 14 pistols, two revolvers, five rifles, and one shotgun. Three of her rifles are classified as Class A light weapons. ‘Vice President Sara has 22 firearms. She has 14 pistols, two revolvers, five rifles, three of which are Class A light weapons, and one shotgun,’ Sangalang said.
Carpio’s firearms collection consists of 16 pistols, two revolvers, one shotgun, and 10 rifles, including one Class A light weapon. Sangalang also noted that one of Carpio’s firearms has an expired registration.
Both Duterte and Carpio hold Type 5 Licenses to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF), which are issued to certified gun collectors. Sangalang explained that holders of this license may own more than 15 registered firearms as long as the firearms are legally allowed and remain properly registered.
When asked about Duterte’s Class A light weapons, Sangalang confirmed that they have fully automatic functions. ‘This means that once the trigger is pulled, the firearm will continue firing repeatedly,’ he explained.
Escudero later clarified that the P7.22-million figure represented a ‘market survey of the price of the guns’ and was ‘not necessarily the acquisition cost of these guns.’ When asked whether Sangalang had personal knowledge of the actual purchase prices, the witness confirmed that he did not.
The defense highlighted this distinction, arguing that the market valuation did not prove the actual amount spent by Duterte and Carpio. Defense counsel Atty. Carlo Joaquin Narvaza said, ‘Since the honorable presiding officer already established that the testimony was about market value and not acquisition cost, there is nothing to cross-examine, Your Honor.’
The hearing also touched on firearm storage requirements. Sangalang said that the PNP requires physical inspection of vaults belonging to Type 3, Type 4, and Type 5 firearm license holders. However, he clarified that he had not personally inspected Duterte and Carpio’s storage facilities.
Sangalang explained that because the firearms list included long rifles and their cases, the collection would likely require significant storage space. ‘Based on the number of firearms they have, technically it would not fit inside a normal-sized vault. It would require a larger vault or possibly several vaults,’ he said. The court, however, stopped further questioning on whether the storage could be considered an ‘armory,’ ruling that such a conclusion would be speculative.
Separately, Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo raised a broader policy issue regarding firearm ownership after the testimony revealed that certified collectors may possess more than 15 registered firearms without a fixed numerical limit. Tulfo called on lawmakers to review whether additional restrictions should be considered.
‘This is something lawmakers should revisit – the ownership of firearms, whether you are a collector or not. Perhaps there should be a certain number of firearms that a person is allowed to own,’ Tulfo said. He warned that unlimited firearm accumulation could potentially be abused by individuals seeking to create private armed groups, particularly during election periods.
Tulfo also suggested that firearms owned by public officials should be specifically disclosed in Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), rather than being included only under general personal property declarations. However, he also questioned the direct relevance of the firearm testimony to the unexplained wealth allegation, describing parts of the presentation as a ‘waste of time,’ while emphasizing the broader need to review firearm ownership policies and transparency requirements.