Duterte team: Objection to SALNs before VP term separate from BIR box

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Wednesday clarified its objection to the inclusion of documents predating Duterte’s term as vice president.

It explains that this position is separate from any response it may give to a House prosecution’s request to open the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box in the impeachment proceedings.

The clarification came after the House prosecution panel submitted a manifestation before the impeachment court.

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The manifestation included a request to open the sealed BIR box during the pretrial period, which supposedly contains the tax records of Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and companies linked to the couple.

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Asked for the defense panel’s response to the prosecution’s manifestation, lawyer Michael Poa said a formal reply would be issued soon.

“I read the manifestation briefly. We at the defense are very reasonable, but maybe I won’t give any details right now. Let’s just wait for the formal response,” Poa told reporters.

The prosecution’s manifestations also included requests to allow the use of both English and Filipino during the proceedings, authorize one public and one private prosecutor to examine each witness, and require a three-day notice for additional witnesses.

House prosecutor and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said the three-day notice requirement was requested by the defense and accepted by the prosecution.

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Contention on pre-VP SALNs, not on BIR box

Asked by a reporter whether the defense’s objection to documents predating Duterte’s vice presidency also applied to the BIR box, Poa said the two issues were not the same.

Poa argued that impeachable offenses only cover alleged offenses committed while the public officer is occupying an impeachable office, which, for the vice president, is only from 2022 to the present.

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“Our main contention is that anything that occurred before her term as vice president does not constitute an impeachable offense and should, therefore, be excluded from the proceedings,” Poe explained.

“It’s not the same with the BIR box,” he reiterated.

Allegations of unexplained wealth

In response to this, House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon defended on Wednesday the relevance of Duterte’s earlier Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

He said the documents are necessary in examining allegations of unexplained wealth, which is under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

“I think we have to be very clear that you cannot reach P88.5 million in 2024 without starting from a particular date, which is why 2007 up until 2024 are relevant dates relating to the current net worth of the vice president, which is specifically in issue on unexplained wealth,” Ridon said in a statement.

For his part, Senate Secretary and clerk of court Renato Bantug said it will ultimately be up to the impeachment court or the presiding officer to rule on the prosecution’s requests, including the matter involving the sealed BIR box.

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The pretrial conference continued for a fourth day on Wednesday, and it could stretch into a fifth day as the parties work through the marking of documents. /apl