HOUSE PANEL KEEPS BIR BOX CONTAINING TAX RECORDS LINKED TO VP SARA SEALED

THE House Committee on Justice on Wednesday voted to keep sealed the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box containing tax records linked to Vice President Sara Duterte, choosing a “safer and cautious route” as it moved toward determining probable cause in the impeachment complaints.

Voting 38-6 with no abstentions, the panel rejected the motion to open the box, following an intense debate among lawmakers over transparency, constitutional powers, and legal risks.

Committee chair Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the decision was consistent with the panel’s approach from the start.

“Since day one of our proceeding, we have taken the conservative route, we have taken the safer and the cautious road, because we owe it to the Filipino people that this impeachment proceeding should be able to proceed and reach its conclusion,” Luistro said.

The motion to open the box, pushed by ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima and backed by several lawmakers, sought to allow the committee to examine all subpoenaed evidence, including income tax returns, to fully assess allegations of unexplained wealth.

Supporters said opening the box could either strengthen the case or clear the Vice President.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor warned that allowing tax laws to block the panel’s authority could set a dangerous precedent.

“A simple statute should never undermine the highest law of the land. Baka may ebidensyang makapagdismiss ng kaso o makapapatatag pa ng ebidensya laban sa Vice President,” Defensor said.

Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said the truth could only be established through documents. “Ang katotohanan ay nasa mga dokumento. Kung walang itinatago, dapat walang ikinakatakot,” he said.

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago also backed opening the box, saying the committee must use its constitutional powers to ensure accountability.

However, a larger bloc of lawmakers opposed opening the records at this stage, citing legal limits, procedural boundaries, and the risk of derailing the proceedings.

Manila 6^th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., one of the endorsers of the impeachment complaints against Duterte, cautioned that while Congress has broad powers, restraint is necessary.

“Just because we can do something does not mean we should. Ang trabaho ng House ay tukuyin lamang ang probable cause,” Abante said.

Deputy Speaker and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin stressed that the panel is not acting as an impeachment court. “Hindi pa po tayo ang korte. We are simply determining probable cause,” she said.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David “Jay-Jay” Suarez warned that opening the box could trigger new legal challenges from the Vice President’s camp.

“Opening this box might trigger another petition in the court to again stop the proceedings,” Suarez said.

Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno took a middle ground, saying the panel has the power to open the box but does not need to. “If we are talking about probable cause, the evidence is already there. Out of the abundance of caution, it would be more prudent to leave this to the Senate,” Diokno said.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said financial records already on file are more than sufficient, citing P6.77 billion in transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council compared to Duterte’s declared net worth of P88.5 million.

“On those two pieces of evidence pa lamang, sapat-sapat na para sa finding of probable cause,” Ridon said.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Lordan Suan questioned the relevance of the income tax returns altogether, saying they add only marginal evidentiary value to the charges.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Emerson “Emeng” Pascual and Negros Oriental Rep. Janice Degamo both said the opening should be left to the Senate to avoid blurring institutional roles.

Laguna Rep. Ann Matibag also opposed the move, stressing that taxpayer records are protected by law and may only be disclosed under strict conditions.

Despite rejecting the motion to open the box, the committee unanimously approved a separate motion to include it in the official records of the proceedings.

“Let the box, though sealed, form part of the official records of this impeachment proceeding,” Luistro ruled, with no objections.

The sealed BIR box will be transmitted to the plenary and, if the case proceeds, to the Senate, where it may be opened during the impeachment trial.