Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson stated on Thursday that it would be appropriate for the Senate to unseal the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records of Vice President Sara Duterte, provided the impeachment complaints are formally transmitted for trial.
Responding to queries during an ambush interview, Lacson agreed that the upper chamber should have access to the documents to ensure a thorough judicial process.
“Rightly so,” Lacson remarked.
The senator pointed out that current legal hurdles, specifically within the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), regulate the disclosure of income tax returns (ITRs).
He noted that such sensitive financial documents generally require specific authorization before they can be made public or used in proceedings.
“Kasi I heard (from) former BIR commissioner (Kim) Henares, mayroong provision sa NIRC na sinasabi niya only with the authority, written authority by the president na pwede mag-divulge ng mga ITRs ng BIR,” he explained.
Lacson emphasized that obtaining the necessary clearances would be a vital step for the Senate acting as an impeachment court.
“So kailangan kunin ‘yun,” he added.
The discussion follows the House Committee on Justice’s decision to keep a box of tax records—belonging to both the Vice President and her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio—sealed during the final impeachment hearing.
Despite the initial secrecy, Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro ruled that these documents are now officially part of the proceeding’s records.
The House of Representatives has already approved a motion to transfer these sealed BIR files to the Senate should the articles of impeachment move forward.
This development comes after the justice panel unanimously found probable cause in the complaints against Duterte, which include allegations of corruption, bribery, and culpable violation of the Constitution.