Cheyenne Suarez

'Precedent is there': Senate to vote on opening of VP Duterte’s bank and tax records

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

All eyes are on the Senate impeachment court on Monday, July 20, as the senator-judges vote on whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to open the tax and bank records of Vice-President Sara Duterte.Atty. Paolo Emmanuel Tamase, associate dean of the UP College of Law, said there is historical precedent to allow the opening of bank and tax records of an impeached official as seen in the impeachment trials of former president Joseph Estrada and the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.“The tenor was for the opening of the records,” he said, noting that even the public wanted to know what was in the records.Still, he said it would be hard to say how the senator-judges will vote since the impeachment process is “not just legal but political in nature”, with the majority holding on to a slim margin.House prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno earlier said both the Bank Secrecy Law and the Data Privacy Act allow the opening of these confidential records, noting that the Senate also looked into Corona’s wealth before he became an impeachable official.Lawyer Michael Poa, however, said opening Duterte’s bank and tax records would be a “fishing expedition”, saying the impeachment does not abolish the right to due process.&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,” he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/15/senate-duterte-bank-tax-records-impeachment-trial-1706">Impeachment court to decide on bid to open Duterte bank, tax records on Monday</a></div><div><a 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><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/15/diokno-duterte-bank-tax-records-impeachment-trial-1516">&#x27;Truth is not confidential&#x27;: Prosecution says VP Sara&#x27;s bank, tax records relevant to impeachment trial</a></div>Article II of the Articles of Impeachment accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust when she allegedly amassed unexplained wealth, failed to disclose all her and her spouse&#x27;s wealth in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and failed to divest and &quot;willfully continued&quot; all her business interests during her tenure as vice president.In the interview, Tamase said courts generally do not favor the argument of a “fishing expedition” amid changes in the rules of court and rules of evidence. “Mas interesado tayo na malaman at makapasok ang karamihan ng ebidensya and let the senator-judges decide,” he said.He said the impeachment court could also partially grant the request by opening Duterte’s bank and tax records without opening the records of her husband, Mans Carpio.He added the President does not need to sign a request to open Duterte’s tax records if the Senate impeachment court has already decided to do so.Tamase, meanwhile, backed the opinion of historian Manolo Quezon that the impeachment trial has become too legalistic and “over judicialized”, noting that many lawyers are tuning out of the proceedings.He noted that there are too many objections being raised during the impeachment trial, which bog down the proceedings. “Hindi kailangan lahat ng bagay o-object-an o lahat ng bagay ay dadaan sa teknikal na rules dahil hindi naman ito itinakda bilang proseso sa korte,” he said.

All eyes are on the Senate impeachment court on Monday, July 20, as the senator-judges vote on whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to open the tax and bank records of Vice-President Sara Duterte.

All eyes are on the Senate impeachment court on Monday, July 20, as the senator-judges vote on whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request to open the tax and bank records of Vice-President Sara Duterte.