Jamaine Punzalan

Vice President Sara Duterte arrives at the Senate on the second day of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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VP Sara Impeachment

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178410627260320260707-senate-impeachment-sara-diuterte-MT3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte arrives at the Senate on the second day of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (UPDATED) — The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday said it would decide on July 20 whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio in her impeachment trial. </p><p>&quot;Given that they want more time to look into the complicated issues involved in these two motions for the issuance of subpoena, the senator-judges agreed in caucus to decide on the matter on Monday,&quot; trial presiding officer Francis Escudero said.</p><p>Senator-judges will be given 10 minutes to ask the parties questions, he added. </p><p>The prosecution sought the disclosure of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husbands&#x27; bank and tax records to back allegations that she amassed unexplained wealth. </p><p>House prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno asserted that not even the Bank Secrecy Law or the Data Privacy Act could bar the impeachment court from examining Duterte&#x27;s tax records. </p><p>&quot;The Constitution, your honors, vests this Impeachment Court with extraordinary powers. Tanging ang hukumang ito lamang ang may kapangyarihang magpasya kung ang mga pinakamataas na pinuno ng ating bansa ay karapat-dapat pa ring manungkulan,&quot; Diokno said. </p><p>&quot;Because this power comes directly from the Constitution, no one — no person, no law, and no administrative rule—can limit or supersede it. I repeat: nothing and no one can handcuff this Court’s power to try and decide this impeachment case,&quot; he added. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/15/diokno-duterte-bank-tax-records-impeachment-trial-1516">Diokno says Duterte&#x27;s bank, tax records to open &#x27;door of truth&#x27; </a> </div><p>Diokno also noted that the Senate impeachment court also looked into the Chief Justice&#x27;s Renato Corona&#x27;s records before he became an impeachable official. </p><p>&quot;No one can dictate to this Impeachment Court how to exercise the exclusive power to decide what constitutes an impeachable offense,&quot; said Diokno.</p><p>Meanwhile, the defense argued that requests to access her financial records were being used as a &quot;weapon of a fishing expedition&quot; against the country&#x27;s second-highest official.</p><p>Lawyer Michael Poa argued that impeachable offenses can only be committed while an official holds an impeachable office. However, he noted that &quot;the prosecution is requesting for documents spanning almost two decades,&quot; including periods when Duterte held government posts that were not impeachable offices. </p><p>For the Bank Secrecy Law, exceptions to disclose bank records for an impeachment case &quot;is not automatic,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Meaning hindi porke&#x27;t may exception for impeachment puwede na kaagad natin buksan ang lahat ng bank records na hinihingi ng prosecution. Why? Because, Your Honor, this exception does not dispense with constitutional safeguards, it does not abolish the right to due process. Dapat mayroon pa rin tayong basehan,&quot; he said. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/15/defense-says-subpoena-for-duterte-bank-tax-records-a-weapon-of-fishing-expedition-1531">Defense says subpoena for Duterte bank, tax records a &#x27;weapon of fishing expedition&#x27;</a></div><p>Poa also stressed Carpio is not an impeachable official.</p><p>&quot;Your Honors, we agree with them, no one is above the law. But in the same manner, no one must fall below or be outside the protection of the law,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Impeachment is indeed a powerful constitutional tool. But Your Honors, impeachment is not a magic word or a magic wand that one can just wave to transform an illegal act into a legal act, to transform unlawful access to lawful access.&quot; -- <strong>with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><em><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3StIaciCWP4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span> </em></div>

<p>The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday said it would decide on July 20 whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial.</p>

The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday said it would decide on July 20 whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial.

Impeachment court to decide on bid to open Duterte bank, tax records on Monday

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Impeachment court to decide on bid to open Duterte bank, tax records on Monday

ABS-CBN News

Published July 15, 2026 05:06 PM PHT

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Updated July 15, 2026 06:34 PM PHT

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