Manila: Malaca±ang on Thursday defended President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s approval of the release of Vice President Sara Duterte's tax records to the Senate impeachment court, saying the decision was guided by the law and the administration's commitment to truth and due process.
According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the President merely allowed legal processes to take their course after the Senate impeachment court subpoenaed the records from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Castro emphasized that the President is committed to following the law and ensuring transparency. "Kung ano ang sinasabi ng batas, kung ano ang proseso, susunod po ang Pangulo. Ito naman ay para sa katotohanan. Hindi niya po ipagkakait ang katotohanan sa taumbayan (Whatever the law requires and whatever the process provides, the President will follow. This is in pursuit of the truth. He will not withhold the truth from the Filipino people)," Castro said in a Palace briefing.
Castro further stressed that Marcos would not obstruct the presentation of evidence sought through lawful judicial processes. "Hinihingi po ito ng pagkakataon. Hindi po magiging hadlang si Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa paglabas ng katotohanan (The situation calls for it... President Marcos Jr. will not get in the way of the disclosure of the truth)," she added.
The Palace official also dismissed claims that the President's approval was politically motivated. "Sa lahat naman ng pagkakataon, kapag ang Pangulo may ginagawa na naaayon sa batas, sasabihin nila politically motivated. Kahit ano pang gawin ng iba, basta ang alam ng Pangulo, siya ay tumutupad sa proseso, siya ay tumutupad sa batas (Whenever the President acts in accordance with the law, critics claim it is politically motivated. Whatever others may say, the President knows he is simply following due process and complying with the law)," Castro said.
The BIR on Thursday reportedly transmitted Duterte's tax records to the Senate impeachment court following the President's approval. The records also include those of Duterte's husband, lawyer Manases 'Mans' Carpio, and companies linked to the couple. The Senate impeachment court had earlier granted the House prosecution's request to issue subpoenas for Duterte's tax records, bank records, and other financial documents as part of the impeachment proceedings.
House prosecutors have stated that the tax documents will support allegations of unexplained wealth. During House hearings on the impeachment complaints, lawmakers cited alleged bank transactions totaling PHP6.77 billion from 2006 to 2025 that they claimed were inconsistent with the Vice President's declared assets.
Duterte's defense team has opposed the subpoenas, arguing that the requests are illegal, unreasonable, and violate the constitutional rights of the Vice President and her spouse. Meanwhile, the prosecution contended that Duterte and her husband's bank and tax records may provide details on the growth of their wealth since Duterte served as Davao City vice mayor in 2007.
'Itong mga bank records na ito (These bank records) can better give that picture kung bakit ganun kalake yung wealth ni VP Sara (on why VP Sara's wealth ballooned),' Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co, a House prosecution spokesperson, said in a press briefing Thursday. Co added that the reported authorization obtained by the BIR from Marcos was only an "added bonus," noting that the prosecution maintains that the Senate impeachment court has the authority to examine the respondent's bank and tax records.
