House prosecution spokesperson Representative Zia Alonto Adiong questioned the basis used by the defense's first witness in identifying a property allegedly corresponding to the real estate declared in Vice President Sara Duterte's Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
During the House prosecution panel's press conference on Monday, November 9, Adiong argued that similarities in the property's assessed and fair market values are insufficient to conclusively establish that it is the same property reflected in Duterte's SALN.
He emphasized that the witness, Davao City Assessor Engineer Jaime Adalin, could not definitively identify the property without examining other properties within the area for comparison.
“There's no basis for the assessor to 100% claim that this is one and the same property because he has not seen all the other properties within the area,” Adiong said.
Adalin earlier took the witness stand as the first defense witness when the impeachment trial resumed, presenting his testimony on property records involving Vice President Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio.
The House prosecution panel has challenged the defense's presentation, questioning whether the property documents and descriptions sufficiently establish that the real estate cited by the witness is the same property declared in the Vice President's SALN.
The defense, meanwhile, is presenting witnesses and evidence to counter the allegations raised by the House.
