Palace: Impeachment court should subpoena Sara Duterte records

Malacañang on Tuesday said it would be more appropriate for the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, rather than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to issue subpoenas for Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records.

At a Palace press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked whether the Office of the President had received any request to authorize the release of the Vice President’s records.

“Sa ngayon wala pa. Pero mas nararapat sa ating pananaw na ang impeachment court talaga ang mag-issue ng mga order at mga subpoena considering ang Pangulo bilang Presidente ay isa rin pong impeachable officer," she said.

(As of now, none has been sent. But in our view, it is more appropriate for the impeachment court itself to issue the orders and subpoenas, considering that the President is also an impeachable official.)

Castro noted that the issue remains hypothetical because no petition has been filed questioning the impeachment court’s order authorizing the issuance of subpoenas.

“Sa ngayon ay hypothetical in question. Hindi pa naman sila nagsasampa ng petition para i-question ang order ng impeachment court na umaayon na mag-issue na subpoena para sa mga bank records, AMLC at BIR records," she said.

(At this point, the question is hypothetical. No petition has been filed yet questioning the impeachment court’s order allowing the issuance of subpoenas for the bank, AMLC, and BIR records.)

She added that cases involving taxes or alleged unexplained wealth may be supported by records obtained through a court order.

“Sa ating pagkakaalam, ang anumang kaso na may patungkol sa mga buwis at patungkol sa mga unexplained wealth na maaaring makita o ma-substantiate ng mga records na ito, ito ay maaaring ipatawag through a court order," she added.

(As far as we know, any case involving taxes or alleged unexplained wealth that may be substantiated by these records may obtain them through a court order.)

Castro also stressed that the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, has the authority and mandate to determine how it will conduct its proceedings.

“Sa ngayon ang Senado ay pumakatawan at pumapapel bilang impeachment court at sila ang may karapatan at mandato kung paano nila ipatutupad ang kanilang proseso," she added.

(At present, the Senate is acting as the impeachment court, and it has the authority and mandate to determine how it will carry out its proceedings.) — MCG, GMA News