MANILA – The House Committee on Justice has chosen to keep confidential the tax returns of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, rejecting a proposal to open the documents during Wednesday’s proceedings.
With 38 lawmakers voting to keep the records sealed and six pushing for disclosure, the panel sided with a cautious approach amid ongoing impeachment deliberations.
The tax files, submitted in a sealed container by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), were provided in compliance with a subpoena issued by the committee. The request forms part of efforts to examine allegations that Duterte may have undisclosed wealth inconsistent with her declared assets.
Debate centered on whether the committee is legally permitted to inspect the records at this stage. Some members cited the National Internal Revenue Code, which restricts access to tax information to executive sessions conducted in aid of legislation.
Others countered that impeachment proceedings operate under constitutional authority and are not bound by the same limitations as ordinary legislative inquiries.
Rep. Leila de Lima, who advocated opening the documents, argued that the committee has both the authority and responsibility to review evidence directly tied to the allegations. She added that members serving as prosecutors in a potential Senate trial should not remain unaware of key financial records.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor supported this position, emphasizing the constitutional nature of the subpoena issued by the panel.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre also backed examining the documents, noting that they could shed light on financial discrepancies when compared with other records, including AMLC reports and Duterte’s SALNs.
Still, several lawmakers urged caution. Rep. Joel Chua said the panel should only open the documents if necessary, particularly after establishing probable cause.
Deputy Speaker Janette Garin and Rep. Chel Diokno agreed, pointing out that the committee’s priority is to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to proceed, not to resolve all evidentiary matters immediately.
Other members warned that prematurely opening the records might give Duterte’s camp grounds to challenge the proceedings on procedural or jurisdictional issues.
In the end, the committee resolved to keep the documents sealed for now and include them in the case records, with plans to transmit them to the Senate if the impeachment trial moves forward.
ia/xf
