MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has authorized the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to release and unseal the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, for submission to the Senate impeachment court.
The approval was confirmed by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, who said the President allowed the disclosure of the documents in the interest of transparency and truth.
“This is for the truth, and he will not deprive our countrymen of the truth,” Castro said.
The authorization came after the Senate impeachment court granted the prosecution panel’s request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Duterte and Carpio in connection with the ongoing impeachment proceedings. The financial records are expected to be examined in relation to allegations involving unexplained wealth and discrepancies in statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.
BIR representatives submitted the subpoenaed tax documents to the Office of the Senate Secretary and Impeachment Clerk of Court in a sealed container before the deadline set by the impeachment court. Several banks also turned over subpoenaed financial records to the Senate.
The development marked a shift from the administration’s earlier position that the Senate impeachment court itself should issue the directive for the opening of the records.
Under Section 71 of the National Internal Revenue Code, income tax returns may be opened for inspection only upon the order of the President, following the recommendation of the BIR commissioner and under rules issued by the Department of Finance.
Vice President Duterte’s defense panel had previously argued that presidential approval was necessary before the tax records could be unsealed. Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said the BIR would first have to recommend compliance with the subpoena before seeking the President’s authorization.
The Senate impeachment court earlier clarified that the financial and tax records covering 2007 to 2021 would be used only to establish Duterte’s financial baseline and not to prove new impeachable offenses.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s camp has remained largely silent following the President’s approval. Reports indicated that Carpio is considering seeking judicial review of the release of the tax records, maintaining that the submission of the documents should not be interpreted as proof of guilt.
The impeachment proceedings against the Vice President continue before the Senate impeachment court.
