Philippine National Police Major Jerickson Sangalang testifying before the senate impeachment court on Monday, September 28, 2026. Photo by Wendell D. Alinea / Senate Social Media Unit.
Manuel Mogato | September 28, 2026
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases ‘Mans’ Carpio, have stacked over 50 firearms, a virtual arsenal in their homes, a police officer testified on Monday before the Senate impeachment court.
Police Major Jerickson Sangalang of the Philippine National Police (PNP) firearms and explosives office (PNP-FEO) told the court the vice president owned 22 firearms, registered under her name. (Also read: Prosecution plans to subpoena Vice President in her impeachment trial)
Sangalang, who keeps records of gun ownership, said the vice president has 14 pistols, two revolvers, five rifles, and a shotgun. The rifles were military-grade weapons.
On the other hand, her lawyer husband has 29 licensed firearms registered under his name. His armory has 16 pistols, two revolvers, a shotgun, and 10 rifles, including a military-grade rifle.
However, Sangalang said Carpio has one expired firearms licence, according to PNP records.
The military-grade rifles, known as Class A light weapons, refer to guns with a calibre of up to 7.62 with semi-automatic functions or fully automatic.
Sangalang explained that a fully automatic gun is capable of burst fire—which means that a single pull of the trigger fires off multiple shots.
“Stated in Republic Act 10591, Section 10, only law enforcement agencies can acquire Class A light weapons, especially the PNP and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” said Sangalang.
“However, for those individuals who have acquired them before the effectivity of this law, they can continue to own their Class A weapon,” he said. The firearms law was signed into law in May 2013.
Sangalang estimated the couple’s firearms cache costs more than 7 million pesos, which the vice president should have declared in her statements of assets. If she failed to disclose the guns, the government will confiscate them.