A House leader on Wednesday said claims of bank secrecy cannot be used to block scrutiny of financial records tied to Vice President Sara Duterte in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chair of the House committee on justice, said constitutional principles on public accountability take precedence over confidentiality rules in such proceedings.
She made the statement as the panel continued examining allegations of unexplained wealth, despite attempts to question the release of Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) data and the committee’s authority to compel documents.
Luistro said laws on deposit secrecy are meant to safeguard legitimate transactions and not to conceal questionable movements of large sums of money.
She added that the mandate of the AMLC includes looking into suspicious dealings and sharing relevant findings with proper authorities.
According to her, objections raised by Duterte’s camp suggested a deeper concern about the possible exposure of damaging information rather than issues of procedure.
She said individuals facing questions over financial transactions should address them through disclosure and clarification instead of resisting the process.
To recall, Atty. Manases Carpio, spouse of the vice president, filed cases on Monday against some members of the House Committee on Justice, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and AMLC regarding the disclosure of their bank records.
Luistro also noted that earlier efforts to halt the committee’s subpoena powers before the Supreme Court did not result in any restraining order, allowing the panel to proceed with its hearings.