The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte stated that her tax documents cannot be released to the Senate impeachment court without explicit clearance from the President, citing confidentiality provisions under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC).
Atty. Michael Poa, spokesperson and member of the defense counsel, explained that taxpayer information is strictly confidential under the law and can only be disclosed under specific legal exceptions.
”Very strict kasi ‘yung tax code natin. Usually ‘yung pagdi-disclose ng taxpayers information ay ipinagbabawal,” Poa said.
He highlighted that one valid exception requires authorization from the Office of the President, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Finance.
”Kapag ‘yon ay may approval from the President, as recommended by the Secretary of Finance,” he explained.
The defense previously opposed the subpoena for Duterte’s financial and tax documents, criticizing the request as overly broad and an attempt to seek “everything.”
While questioning the relevance of the requested files, Poa affirmed that the defense will respect the impeachment court’s ruling while weighing potential legal actions.
”Nagkaroon na ng ruling ‘yong presiding officer at kailangan nating respetuhin ‘yan,” he said.
He noted that appealing the matter to the Supreme Court remains a viable option, though no definitive step has been taken yet.
”Definitely, part ‘yan ng remedies… but sa ngayon, wala pa kaming desisyon kung aakyat kami,” Poa stated.
Furthermore, Poa stressed that surrendering the requested records to the court does not guarantee their formal admission as evidence.
”Hindi porket maipakita ‘yung dokumento ay admitted as evidence na ‘yan,” he added.