CLAIM: CBCP President and Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera’s supposed comments on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged hidden wealth.
RATING: FALSE
A quote card attributed to Gilbert Garcera, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and archbishop of Lipa, falsely claimed that he had commented on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth uncovered during her impeachment trial.
Flagged content: In a now-deleted post, a Facebook page shared the quote card bearing a photo of Garcera and indicating Oct. 12 as the supposed date of his remarks.
- The quote read: “We heard the declarations of the vice president herself regarding matters affecting this issue of unexplained wealth, and these are the sworn declaration on her SALN, the figures which came from the sworn statements when she said that her net worth is P98 million as of end of 2025, she also spoke through the bank records, official bank records, that were presented in this case already.”
Our debunk: Garcera did not make the statement about Duterte’s SALN and bank records.
- CBCP News, the official news service of the bishops’ conference, reported that the quote was fabricated and that Garcera did not make such a statement.
Rewind: On Oct. 9, the final prosecution witness in Duterte’s impeachment trial told the Senate impeachment court that the vice president and her husband accumulated P817.87 million in undeclared assets and income from 2022 to 2025.
- The amount was more than eight times the P98.66 million net worth Duterte declared in 2025.
Why we fact-checked this: Many Filipinos give weight to Garcera’s statements on public issues because he is the CBCP president.
- With Duterte’s impeachment trial ongoing, a purported comment on her case from a prominent religious leader such as Garcera could influence public perception.
Spot the fake: Check the official website and social media pages of CBCP News when you encounter a suspicious statement attributed to the CBCP president or other Catholic Church leaders.
- Verify information about the impeachment trial against official sources and credible news outlets. Leigh San Diego
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