Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan asked GenCorp General Counsel Suzette Balucanag-Punay what the P2.1 million returned by GenCorp to VP Sara Duterte was for, considering she only invested P48,879 in capital in the now-closed Davao Bounty Group.
Punay answered that she did not know.
However, according to Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero, GenCorp has already returned 45 times the amount to VP Sara, so this should be considered a “return on investment” and not a “return of investment,” as Punay had claimed.
Punay agreed with Kapunan’s statement that what GenCorp is returning to VP Sara is “earnings” or income.
She stated that this is income from the business, but she refused to answer whether she knew that the Constitution prohibits a vice president from receiving business income.
Kapunan expressed disbelief that in Punay’s 15 years as a lawyer, she would not know this.
For Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo, Punay was feigning ignorance and failed to prepare the necessary documents for the matter she was discussing.
During questioning by Senator-judge Bam Aquino, Punay could not confirm whether VP Sara still receives money from GenCorp to this day, nor did she know how it is computed.# (ZIA LUNA)
