MANILA – A Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) official raised concerns over the disclosure of revenue officers’ names after the defense panel displayed Letters of Authority (LOAs) during Day 37 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Friday, October 9.
BIR Office of the Commissioner Chief of Staff Atty. Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez called the Senate impeachment court’s attention to the names of revenue officers that appeared on screen during the defense’s presentation of tax-related documents.
“Gusto ko lang po i-raise noong na-flash po ‘yung copy ng LOAs sa screen kanina, napakita po kasi ‘yung name ng mga revenue officers. It should have been redacted,” Garcia-Marquez told the court.
The BIR official emphasized that the names should have been concealed before the documents were publicly displayed.
Presiding Officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero responded that the court would ensure the names were redacted from the documents to be formally submitted.
“We will redact it in the document that will be submitted to the Court,” Escudero said.
However, Garcia-Marquez pointed out that the information had already been shown during the proceedings.
“But it was already flashed on the screen. ‘Yung concern ko po doon, Your Honor, are the names,” she said.
Escudero assured the witness that the impeachment court would examine the matter.
“The Court will look into it,” the presiding officer replied.
The exchange occurred after the defense presented BIR documents related to tax examinations involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution also questioned the defense’s decision to display documents it had previously described as confidential.
The defense maintained that the taxpayer had the right to consent to the disclosure of the documents.
The incident raised concerns over the protection of personal information contained in official tax records presented during public impeachment proceedings.
The court has yet to announce whether the disclosure constituted a privacy violation.
