Photo courtesy of House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook.
The House of Representatives committee on justice on Wednesday voted to keep sealed a set of income tax documents linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
During the hearing, only a handful of lawmakers supported a motion to unseal the records, while the majority rejected it, effectively shelving any immediate review of the contents.
The documents were earlier turned over by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which had cautioned that disclosure should be limited to legislative purposes and handled in executive session rather than in public proceedings.
Others agreed with the decision, stressing that the House’s role was confined to determining probable cause and not conducting a full trial on the allegations.
Some members of the panel said opening the records was unnecessary at this stage, noting that the evidence already presented was enough to assess whether impeachment should move forward.
One lawmaker said the panel should instead exercise caution and leave the decision on whether to examine the documents to the Senate, which would serve as the impeachment court if the case advances.
However, several lawmakers pushed for the immediate opening of the records, saying transparency was essential and warning that withholding the documents could be seen as a failure to uphold public accountability.
They maintained that reviewing the records would help establish the truth, adding that constitutional authority should take precedence over restrictions cited under tax laws in impeachment proceedings.