Metro Manila, Philippines – The House prosecution panel said, as much as possible, it does not want to bother President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by seeking his authorization for the release of Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Impeachment Court.
In a press conference on Thursday, July 16, House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution panel is exploring other legal options.
“Hangga’t maaari syempre ayaw naman natin na guluhin pa ang ating executive pagdating dito dahil marami rin naman ginagawa ang ating Pangulo at kung may iba pang option, may iba pa kaming mga pwedeng gawin ay ‘yun muna ang ie-explore namin,” Chua said.
[Translation: “As much as possible, we don’t want to bother the executive over this because the President already has a lot on his plate. If there are other options available or other courses of action we can take, we will explore those first.]
On the sixth day of the impeachment trial on Wednesday, July 15, the prosecution and defense debated the prosecution’s request for the court to subpoena Duterte’s financial records, including her tax records from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), bank documents, and reports from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
During the 2012 impeachment trial of the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares first sought the permission of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III before submitting tax records subpoenaed by the Impeachment Court.
“Ganoon po yung naging proseso noon kaya naging malinis yung pagpresenta ng tax records… That is one of the considerations of the Impeachment Court and the presiding officer when it will issue the same subpoena to the BIR commissioner,” court spokesperson Regie Tingol said in a separate online interview.
[Translation: That was the process followed then, which ensured the tax records were presented properly. That is one of the considerations of the Impeachment Court and the presiding officer when deciding whether to issue a similar subpoena to the BIR commissioner.]
Counsel for the prosecution Lorna Kapunan said seeking presidential authorization remains a legal strategy that the prosecution panel has yet to discuss.
“Kung required iyan ng Impeachment Court, the prosecution will do what is necessary and legal as determined by the Senate impeachment judges,” Kapunan said.
Senator-judges are expected to question both the prosecution and defense panels on Monday, July 20, before possibly ruling the same day on whether to issue subpoenas for Duterte’s financial records.
