Manases R. Carpio is a prominent Philippine corporate lawyer best known to the public as the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, making him the Second Gentleman of the Philippines.
Personal Information
Complete Name –> Atty. Manases Reyes Carpio
Nickname –> Mans
Birth Date –> February 8, 1976 (Age )
Hometown –> Davao City, Philippines
Family
Wife –> Vice President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio (Married in 2007)
Children –> 4 including Mikhaila Maria Carpio (“Sharky”), Mateo Lucas Carpio (“Stingray”), Marko Digong Carpio (“Stonefish”)
Father –> Atty. Lucas Claudio Carpio Jr.
Mother –> Agnes Reyes-Carpio (Former Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals)
Paternal Aunt –> Former Supreme Court Associate Justice and Ombusdman Conchita Carpio-Morales
Relative –> Antonio Carpio (former Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court)
Education
College –> De La Salle University
Degree –> Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Law School –> San Sebastian College – Recoletos
* Passed the Bar in 2003
* Manases carpio also spent time studying at San Beda University where he met his future wife, Sara Duterte.
Government Service Career / Work Experiences
Founder, Carpio and Duterte Law Office (One of the biggest clients is Mighty Corporation, a large cigarette manufacturers in the country.)
Affiliation
Member, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
Madayaw Lodge no. 43 (Local Masonic Lodge)
Controversies
Because of his proximity to power during the presidencies of his father-in-law (Rodrigo Duterte) and his wife’s vice presidency, Carpio has repeatedly found himself under political scrutiny.
1. Customs Smuggling Allegations (2017)
In August 2017, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV implicated Carpio during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation regarding a standard P6.4 billion shipment of methamphetamine (shabu) that passed through the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Trillanes alleged that Carpio and his brother-in-law, Paolo Duterte, belonged to the “Davao Group,” an alleged ring of influential individuals pulling strings at the customs bureau.
Testimonies emerged that Carpio had visited the office of then-Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon several times.
His Defense: Carpio formally faced the Senate on September 7, 2017, firmly denying any involvement in smuggling operations. He clarified that his visits to the BOC were strictly part of his duties as a private lawyer representing legitimate importing clients. Then-President Rodrigo Duterte also defended him, stating it was completely standard for a lawyer to visit government offices on behalf of legal clientele. No criminal charges ever stuck to Carpio regarding the 2017 probe, prompting him to file a civil defamation suit against Trillanes later that year.
2. DOJ Drug and Corruption Complaints (2024)
The friction between Carpio and Trillanes reignited in July 2024, when the former senator formally lodged a fresh drug smuggling and corruption complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ). The complaint, which named Carpio, Paolo Duterte, and several others, sought to formally re-examine the historical “Davao Group” narrative by citing newer affidavits from logistics brokers. Carpio filed perjury countersuits against Trillanes in response, dismissing the claims as a malicious, recycled smear campaign.
3. Alleged Bank Leaks and Civil Defamation Lawsuits (2026)
During the high-profile House of Representatives justice committee hearings leading up to articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) bared financial records pointing to 33 suspicious bank transactions and 630 covered dealings totaling P6.7 billion traced to joint accounts held by the couple.
Legal Counter-offensive: Carpio and his legal team vehemently denied having the multi-billion peso sums and went on a massive legal counter-offensive. In April 2026, Carpio filed a P7.3 million civil lawsuit in Davao City against several religious and civil society figures (including three Catholic priests, three nuns, and a Protestant pastor) who spearheaded the impeachment efforts, claiming they used “perjurious lies” to malicious weaponize impeachment and destroy his private law practice. Additionally, he pressed criminal charges against AMLC executives and lawmakers, alleging they illegally connived to leak confidential bank history, violating the Bank Secrecy and Data Privacy Acts.
RELATED: Cabinet Members and Other High Officials under President Bongbong Marcos
See also: List of Bar Topnotchers in the Philippines since 1903