Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

Senate Secretary Mark Llandro “Dong” L. Mendoza and Deputy Secretary for Legislation Atty. Marivic Laurel Garcia, formally received the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte from his counterpart, House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The Senate received the sealed boxes containing documents related to the impeachment proceedings against Duterte at around 7:22 p.m.
House Committee Report No. 261 on House Resolution No. 989, titled “Resolution Setting Forth the Articles of Impeachment Against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte,” together with annexes and USB devices containing file copies of the said documents, formed part of the transmittal. Joseph B. Vidal,  Senate Social Media Unit

Article (news)

PH SENATE

ABS-CBN News

<div><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/u8hnit3Po3Q?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>MANILA – Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Senate is ready for the resumption of Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial on Monday, adding that members of the majority bloc have already discussed key procedural issues to ensure the proceedings move forward smoothly.</p><p>&quot;I think I can speak on behalf of the majority, handang-handa kami,&quot; Lacson said in an interview with DZMM on Saturday.</p><p>Lacson said Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian convened an all-senators caucus on Friday to discuss matters that could affect the trial, although only two members of the minority bloc attended.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung iba hindi nag-attend, nagtawag ng all senators caucus si Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, dalawa lamang &#x27;yung umattend sa minorya... So napa-relay ni Senator [Loren] Legarda atsaka Senator Robin [Padilla] sa mga kasama nila sa minority &#x27;yung napag-usapan para smooth &#x27;yung aming magiging proseso sa trial.&quot;</p><p>He said the majority bloc will hold another caucus at 10 a.m. Monday to finalize who will preside over the impeachment court.</p><p>&quot;Mayroon kaming majority caucus on Monday, 10 o&#x27;clock &#x27;yon ng umaga. Doon namin ifa-finalize &#x27;yong usaping presiding officer,” Lacson said. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/4/-all-systems-go-for-vp-duterte-impeachment-trial-on-july-6-house-prosecutor-says-0917">READ: &#x27;All systems go&#x27; for VP Duterte impeachment trial on July 6, House prosecutor says</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘BIR BOX SHOULD BE RETURNED’</strong><strong><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/178314194318820260513-senate-articles-of-impeachment-SSMU2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Senate Secretary Mark Llandro “Dong” L. Mendoza and Deputy Secretary for Legislation Atty. Marivic Laurel Garcia, formally received the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte from his counterpart, House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Joseph B. Vidal, Senate Social Media Unit"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate Secretary Mark Llandro “Dong” L. Mendoza and Deputy Secretary for Legislation Atty. Marivic Laurel Garcia, formally received the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte from his counterpart, House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. <em>Joseph B. Vidal, Senate Social Media Unit</em></span></span></span></strong></div><p>One of the issues discussed during Friday&#x27;s caucus, Lacson said, was the custody of the so-called &quot;BIR green box&quot; containing Vice President Duterte&#x27;s tax records.</p><p>The issue surfaced during the House impeachment proceedings after prosecutors transmitted the sealed box to the Senate as part of the impeachment records. </p><p>Earlier, the House prosecution panel asked the impeachment court to open the box in an executive session, arguing that its contents could be relevant to the case.</p><p>Lacson, however, said the impeachment court has no role in keeping or opening the sealed records.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung usaping pag-unseal o pag-open noong BIR box. Isa sa mga napagkasunduan namin... huwag na.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Sabi nga ni Senator Chiz Escudero, wala kaming business para magtago ng ebidensya, o mag-gatekeep ng ebidensya. &#x27;Yung ebidensya, ipepresenta &#x27;yan ng prosecution o ng depensa. E iniwan sa amin &#x27;yong box, anong gagawin namin doon e korte kami?&quot; Lacson said.</p><p>He said senators agreed the box should be returned because keeping it in the court&#x27;s custody could itself violate the law.</p><p>&quot;Ang isa naming napagkasunduan ay isoli namin &#x27;yon kasi unang-una, labag sa batas. Hindi ang impeachment court o ang korte ang mag-uunseal non.&quot;</p><p>Lacson cited Section 71 of the National Internal Revenue Code, saying tax records may only be disclosed with written authority from the President upon the recommendation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Finance, or through a waiver from the taxpayer.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yong sinasabi ng prosecution, na kami na &#x27;yong mag-decide na magbukas non hindi namin gagawin &#x27;yon. Kasi ma-oopen kami sa grave abuse of discretion,” he added. </p><p>Instead, Lacson said prosecutors should secure the necessary authorization from Malacañang if they want the records unsealed.</p><p>&quot;Kung gusto ng prosecution, humingi sila ng permiso sa Office of the President para i-unseal &#x27;yan. Huwag kami, huwag &#x27;yong impeachment court,” he said.</p><p>He also questioned why the House prosecutors transmitted the sealed box to the Senate in the first place.</p><p>&quot;Ang tanong ko nga kahapon, bakit natin tinanggap? Sa House pa lang dapat ginawa na nila &#x27;yon. Alam naman siguro nila &#x27;yong batas,” Lacson said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SECOND ENVELOPE<br/></strong></div><p>House prosecutor Joel Chua, however, warned that leaving the sealed BIR box unopened could revive memories of one of the most controversial episodes in Philippine impeachment history—the &quot;second envelope&quot; during the 2001 impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada.</p><p>&quot;Kung hindi nila papayagan, baka mamaya ganoon din ang maging epekto nito,&quot; Chua said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.</p><p>The &quot;second envelope&quot; became a defining moment in Estrada&#x27;s impeachment trial after senator-judges voted against opening bank records allegedly linked to the alias &quot;Jose Velarde.&quot; </p><p>The prosecution panel walked out of the proceedings, triggering mass protests that culminated in the EDSA II uprising and Estrada&#x27;s removal from office.</p><p>The sealed BIR box in Duterte&#x27;s impeachment case contains income tax returns and related tax records obtained by the House Committee on Justice through a subpoena during its impeachment inquiry. </p><p>Prosecutors have argued that the documents are material to the allegation of unexplained wealth contained in the Articles of Impeachment and have asked the impeachment court to open the box and formally mark its contents as evidence.</p><p>Chua maintained that the impeachment court has the authority to order the opening of the box because it exercises powers similar to those of a regular court.</p><p>&quot;Kung wala naman pong tinatago, ano naman po ang dahilan para ito po ay ipagkubli sa taong bayan? Dahil ang issue po kasi dito sa impeachment ay pananagutan, accountability po,&quot; he said.</p><p>The dispute over the BIR records emerged during the five-day pre-trial proceedings after prosecutors sought to have the sealed box opened and marked as evidence. </p><p>Lacson also said the majority bloc intends to leave it to Gatchalian to designate an official spokesperson for the impeachment court, preferably a lawyer who would coordinate with Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who serves as clerk of the impeachment court.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>IMPEACHMENT TRIAL SHOULD PROCEED</strong></div><p>Despite concerns over attendance by some senator-judges, Lacson maintained that the impeachment trial should proceed.</p><p>&quot;Hindi kami puwedeng ma-hostage... ito constitutional duty,” he said. </p><p>&quot;Di pwedeng maantala ang trial. In fairness kay VP Sara, ituloy-tuloy na lang para kung lalabas ang verdict na acquitted siya at least ma-clear na siya,” he adde.d</p><p>He also vowed to decide the case solely on the evidence presented during the trial.</p><p>&quot;As far as I&#x27;m concerned, 1,000 percent guaranteed na ang titingnan ko ay evidence, hindi political alliance o personal biases,&quot; Lacson said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/1/house-prosecution-to-raise-opening-bir-box-in-comment-to-pre-trial-order-barbers-1736">House prosecution to raise opening BIR box in comment to pre-trial order: Barbers</a></div><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/25/prosecution-duterte-tax-box-from-bir-can-still-be-opened-by-court-during-trial-2339">Prosecution: Duterte tax box from BIR can still be opened by court during trial</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><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/mVpfkDKwChI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><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/1PiAv131lcc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Senate is ready for the resumption of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Monday, adding that members of the majority bloc have already discussed key procedural issues to ensure the proceedings move forward smoothly.</p>

Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Senate is ready for the resumption of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Monday, adding that members of the majority bloc have already discussed key procedural issues to ensure the proceedings move forward smoothly.

Lacson says Senate 'ready' for VP Duterte impeachment trial, backs return of 'BIR green box' to House prosecutors

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Lacson says Senate 'ready' for VP Duterte impeachment trial, backs return of 'BIR green box' to House prosecutors

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 04, 2026 01:18 PM PHT

|

Updated July 04, 2026 02:42 PM PHT

Read More:

Panfilo Lacson

Duterte impeachment

Impeachment trial

Senate

BIR box

Joel Chua

VP Sara Duterte

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.