By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will evaluate any formal request seeking to unseal the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) “green box” containing the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, Malacañang said on Monday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said no request has so far reached the Office of the President, but assured that any such appeal would undergo careful review before President Marcos makes a decision.
“Once the request is received, it will be carefully reviewed, and we will determine what action the President will take,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
The Palace statement came after Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson reiterated that he would oppose any effort to forcibly open the sealed tax records without the President’s written authorization.
Lacson maintained that opening the confidential records without presidential approval would violate the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and existing Supreme Court rulings.
He cited Section 71 of the NIRC, which provides that income tax returns may only be opened for public inspection upon the order of the President of the Philippines, following rules issued by the Department of Finance upon the recommendation of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
The senator also pointed to Section 270 of the tax code, which penalizes BIR officials and employees who unlawfully disclose confidential taxpayer information, including trade secrets and other protected records.
Lacson emphasized that even the Senate impeachment court must observe existing laws and cannot disregard statutory safeguards governing confidential tax documents.
Castro acknowledged the strong public interest surrounding the issue, saying authentic documents remain important in establishing the facts.
“From the public’s perspective, we understand how important legitimate documents are in shedding light on the truth behind these issues,” she said.
The controversy follows the impeachment court’s earlier decision to return the alleged tax records of Vice President Duterte to the BIR after questions were raised over their handling and admissibility in the impeachment proceedings.
While Malacañang has not indicated what the President’s eventual decision would be, Castro stressed that any request to open the records would be examined thoroughly and acted upon in accordance with the law.
ia/xf
