Metro Manila, Philippines – Lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, denied using public funds for credit card transactions scrutinized during his wife’s impeachment trial, insisting that the expenses were personal and had nothing to do with her.
In a statement on Saturday, October 10, Carpio defended purchases and payments made in Japan and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as transactions involving Nike products, saying the expenses were shared among members of the respective groups.
“There is nothing illegal about spending my own hard-earned money. No public funds were used for these personal expenses,” Carpio said.
He also rejected attempts to link the transactions to the vice president.
“Vice President Sara Duterte had nothing to do with these expenditures and was not present when they were incurred,” he said.
Carpio explained that he used his credit card during a trip to Japan to cover expenses for a large group whose members did not have sufficient cash on hand 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,” he said.
He added that the Nike purchases were intended for senior basketball players, with the costs similarly shared among the group.
Carpio also attributed the transactions in Kuala Lumpur to expenses for junior basketball players who had won a championship in Malaysia.
The lawyer maintained that the transactions should be assessed based on their purpose and the source of the funds used, rather than assumptions about their connection to the vice president.
“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.
Carpio also questioned the disclosure of his personal credit card records during the proceedings, raising concerns about the subpoenas used to obtain them.
“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,” Carpio said.
He maintained that the central issue was whether public funds had been used, reiterating that the expenditures were covered by his personal resources.
