BIR witness says no record of sale of Cale88 by Mans Carpio

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Office of the Commissioner chief of staff Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez on Thursday said the agency found no records of the transfer of shares of stock of Cale88 Foods Corporation, one of the listed business interests of Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio.

On the Day 36 of the impeachment trial of the Vice President, private prosecutor Erwin Matib asked Garcia-Marquez regarding the issuance of Electronic Certificate Authorizing Registration (eCAR) in relation to Cale88’s shares of stock.

Reading the document issued by the BIR, Garcia-Marquez noted that based on the bureau’s database, there were “no records arising from or in connection with any transfer, sale, disposition or other conveyance of shares of stock” of Cale88.

“In relation thereto, no documents or records were found evidencing the payment, assessment, or settlement of any applicable taxes fees or other charges arising from or in connection with such transfer or disposition,” she added.

Matib then asked the witness of the effects of the absence of the eCAR to the transfer of the shares of stock of Cale88.

“Based po sa revenue issuance namin, dapat po ay hindi po siya na-record doon sa books ng company kapag walang eCAR,” Garcia-Marquez said.

(Based on our revenue issuance, it should not have been recorded in the company's books if there was no eCAR.)

The witness also affirmed that there is no current pending application from the BIR regarding the issuance of eCAR or any records of transfer or sale of any share of Cale88.

Matib then raised if this shows that the sale of Cale88 was supposedly fake.

“Okay, so wala at all record ang BIR ng bentahan ng shares of stock ni Attorney Manases Carpio. So ibig sabihin, siya pa rin talaga ang may-ari ng Cale88 Foods Corp. at peke pala ang pagbenta ng shares to Pikimong Pikimong Incorporated,” Matib said.

(Okay, so the BIR has no record at all of the sale of shares of stock by Attorney Manases Carpio. This means he is still the actual owner of Cale88 Foods Corp., and the sale of shares to Pikimong Pikimong Incorporated turns out to be fake.)

Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected to the terms used by the prosecutor, moving to strike them from the record.

“Move to strike, Your Honor. Ibig sabihin, peke pala ang pagbenta sa Pikimong Pikimong [they’re implying that the sale of Pikimong Pikimong was fake]. This is a conclusion of law,” Ferrer said.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero sustained the objection and ordered to strike Matib’s statement from the record.

Cale88 is one of the business interests listed under the joint Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of the Vice President and her husband in multiple years, including the years when the Vice President already assumed office. — BM, GMA News