Former Senate President Franklin Drilon has expressed support for the House Committee on Justice’s recent refusal to disclose the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte, asserting that the panel operated strictly within the confines of the law.
The controversy arose during an April 29 hearing when the committee held a vote on whether to open a sealed container of documents provided by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The files reportedly contained the income tax returns of both the Vice President and her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio.
The motion to open the records was overwhelmingly defeated, with 38 members voting to keep the box sealed against only six in favor.
In a television interview, Drilon explained that tax records are protected by specific legal conditions and should generally only be accessed under restricted circumstances.
“Well the law specifies that it must be opened during an executive session so they could have done that,” the veteran lawmaker noted.
Drilon further argued that because the House’s current mandate is restricted to determining the sufficiency of form and substance in the impeachment complaint, exposing such sensitive data prematurely could lead to unnecessary legal challenges.
“It must be in executive session and probably in aid of legislation. There can be a debate there. But then it goes to the Senate and since the House is only determining whether or not there is sufficiency in substance, why should you risk going with the other party going up for the Supreme Court with that decision? I fully concur with the decision,” he added.
Supporting this procedural stance, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson suggested that the examination of the BIR documents is a task better suited for the Senate once it officially transitions into an impeachment court.
Lacson maintained that the trial phase is the appropriate venue for scrutinizing such evidence as part of the formal judicial process.