Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records show Vice President Sara Duterte remained listed as a director and stockholder of Metro City Chow Foods Corporation from 2022 to 2025, despite constitutional prohibitions against top officials engaging in private business while in office.
Testifying on Day 27 of Duterte’s impeachment trial, SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Atty. Gerardo del Rosario confirmed that corporate filings consistently listed “Sara Z. Duterte” as a board member and shareholder during her tenure as Vice President.
Records indicated she held 500 shares and had been part of the company’s board since 2018, after helping incorporate the firm in 2016.
Private prosecutor Atty. Erwin Matib emphasized that directors are elected by shareholders, noting Duterte’s repeated inclusion in annual filings.
Del Rosario cited Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, which bars the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and their deputies from directly or indirectly participating in any business, requiring them to avoid conflicts of interest.
He also pointed to Republic Act No. 6713, which mandates officials to resign from private business posts within 30 days of assuming office and divest shareholdings within 60 days.
The Supreme Court has previously described these constitutional restrictions as “sweeping, all-embracing prohibitions,” underscoring the intent to impose stricter limitations on top executive officials due to the powers entrusted to them. ||
