2 weeks ago
15
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Jose Rodel Clapano - The Philippine Star
April 24, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Voting 21-4-0, the House committee on justice granted on Wednesday night a motion to defer the opening of income tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, keeping the documents sealed following a lengthy debate on the legal risks of publicizing them.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue explained during Wednesday’s impeachment hearing that the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) allows the disclosure of tax information to Congress only in aid of legislation and, even then, “provided that the examination will be done in an executive session.”
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza cited Section 20(a) of the NIRC, which allows the agency to furnish Congress with pertinent information, including industry audits, collection performance data and status reports on criminal actions and taxpayer returns.
However, he noted that any return or return information that can identify a taxpayer directly or indirectly may be provided to the appropriate congressional committee only when sitting in executive session, unless the taxpayer gives written consent for disclosure.
Most committee members agreed that the panel is conducting impeachment proceedings, not a congressional inquiry in aid of legislation, warning that opening the sealed tax records without first reviewing legal remedies could prompt further legal action from the Vice President.
Justice committee chair Rep. Gerville Luistro asked the BIR when the sealed box of tax records could be opened, and under what conditions the contents may be disclosed if they are barred from accessing them.
Mendoza replied that, in his view, issues raised in the impeachment proceedings could potentially serve as basis for amending the Tax Code.
Luistro, however, pointed out that impeachment proceedings are not hearings in aid of legislation, prompting the BIR to retain its position that the documents cannot be publicly opened.
The justice committee chair, however, clarified that while the motion to defer the unsealing of the BIR submissions has been granted, the committee will not return the documents to the agency and will retain them in its custody under seal.
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon warned that if the tax records remain sealed, they may not be unsealed when the impeachment case goes to trial in the Senate.
“If this crosses to trial, what will the BIR say? ‘Your honor, this is not in aid of legislation, so we still cannot unseal it.’ That basically defeats the cause of justice,” he told “Storycon” on One News yesterday.
“I don’t think it’s for the BIR to actually even debate with us. It is just for Congress to decide next week to seal or unseal. The BIR is irrelevant on this decision,” the lawmaker said.
The panel will reconvene on April 29 for its last hearing determining probable cause in the impeachment complaints against Duterte.
Business interests
During the clarificatory hearing, lawmakers questioned whether income from businesses linked to Duterte aligned with her declared wealth, citing compliance gaps and record discrepancies.
Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department director Gerardo del Rosario confirmed compliance gaps in several firms, including Metro City Chow Foods Corp., which failed to submit a general information sheet in 2017 and filed late submissions in 2022 and 2023. The company did not submit financial statements in 2016.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan said Metro City Chow Foods Corp. listed Duterte as a stockholder and board member from 2022 to 2025, with 500 shares recorded in the latest filing.
Suan pointed to Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, which bars the President and Vice President from engaging in business during their tenure.
Lawmakers also scrutinized GenCorp Industries, Inc., another company declared in Duterte’s SALN. Records showed the firm incurred compliance violations due to late GIS filings in 2022 and 2023. — EJ Macababbad, Emmanuel Tupas
