Sara Duterte's Team Approves Opening of Tax Documents Conditioned on a Closed Session

In the midst of ongoing political tensions at the Manila Philippine Consulate General, the legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte announced that they are not opposed to the proposal to open the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box containing tax documents. However, the defense team insists that this procedure should only be conducted in a closed session. Duterte's lawyers emphasized that all parties participating in the process of opening the box and marking the documents inside must be strictly prohibited from sharing copies of the documents with the public. This demand highlights the defense's sensitivity regarding confidentiality and data protection in the upcoming impeachment trial. According to court records, the defense team detailed these conditions in an official petition submitted to the impeachment court in late june.

Duterte's legal team stressed that under no circumstances does the opening of the box imply a violation of the prohibition against disclosing confidential and private data, nor does it mean this presentation is legally accepted. The lawyers specifically highlighted this situation by claiming that the box contains documents from years when Duterte was neither an impeachable official nor any public officer. The defense argued that these older documents cannot be used as the basis for any impeachment charges because they belong to the period before the Vice President assumed an impeachable position. A similar defense strategy was pursued in the pre-trial documents previously submitted in may and june, requesting the legal invalidation of the documents. This situation shows that the defense is trying to frame the legal boundaries of the case in its own favor.

On the other hand, the prosecution strongly objected to this confidentiality request, questioning the defense's approach. Public prosecutor Leila de Lima expressed her criticisms at a press conference, stating that she did not understand why a closed session was necessary for such a procedure. De Lima said that opening the box is a simple procedure and that the documents could be easily marked by simply appointing a special team. The prosecution argues that the process should be conducted transparently, opposing the defense's request to carry out the procedure behind closed doors. The prosecutors stated that they consider it mandatory for these tax records to be presented publicly as evidence to prove the claim that the Vice President acquired illicit wealth.

This legal battle began when the House of Representatives invited Duterte's tax records during the hearings regarding the impeachment charges filed against the Vice President in april. However, the lawmakers abandoned the decision to open the box due to uncertainties about whether it would violate the National Internal Revenue Code. Later, although the prosecution requested the opening of the box during the pre-trial process, the Senate court clerk had to postpone the process to allow the defense to comment on the matter. All these developments prove how procedurally complex the case is and that it is a process open to legal maneuvers from both sides. These jurisdictional and interpretative differences between the two institutions are among the main factors slowing down the progress of the case.

Overall, the tax records in question are expected to constitute critical evidence in proving the allegations of corruption and illicit wealth accumulation against the Vice President. The prosecution believes that presenting these documents in court will confirm the thesis that Duterte unjustly profited during or prior to her term. Therefore, the issue of whether the box will be opened in a closed or public session has transcended a mere procedural debate and risen to a key position that will determine the fate of the case. This process, in which both sides remain loyal to their own strategies, continues to evoke deep repercussions in Philippine politics and attract great public interest. How the court will evaluate this confidentiality request in the upcoming hearings is awaited as a decision of great importance for the country's future political balances.