One of the more contentious side issues in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment hearings arose when the House Committee on Justice voted on Wednesday, April 29, not to open the sealed box of tax records submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), containing the income tax returns (ITR) of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The question of opening the green BIR box was first raised on April 22, when the committee tackled allegations of unexplained wealth and discrepancies in Duterte’s SALN filings.
Supporters of opening the box argued its contents could establish probable cause, while opponents preferred to leave the matter to the Senate impeachment court.
After Rep. Leila de Lima moved to open the box, committee chair Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro called for a vote: six members supported opening it, while 38 voted to keep it sealed.
Rep. Lorenz Defensor then moved to transmit the box to the Senate if the case proceeds to trial.
“Keep it sealed for now. Hayaan nating ang Senado ang mag bukas nito bilang bahagi ng impeachment trial… Huwag nating pangunahan ang proseso para sa kapakanan ng ating legal system at ng ating bansa. Di ba mas maganda na may suspense ika nga… hindi po malabo na ito ay magtagumpay sa plenaryo at makarating sa impeachment court,” Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said.
De Lima reiterated her position, arguing the committee had both the power and constitutional mandate to examine Duterte’s tax records. “Kung exception itinuturing ang paghingi… lalo pong dapat irecognize ang pagkuha ng impormasyon na ‘yan while sitting in an impeachment proceeding,” she said, adding that refusal to open the records was a “misapprehension” of constitutional order, since impeachment supersedes legislative inquiry. (Ellson Quismorio)
