Escudero's ruling on subpoenas for Sara Duterte records was ready before impeachment trial -- spokesperson

Most parts of the decision on the issuance of subpoenas for the bank and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, as well as the VP's tax records, were already prepared even before the impeachment trial began on July 6, according to impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol. In a press conference, Tongol said that on the first day of the impeachment trial, Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero was already ready to rule on the subpoenas as such a request was already stated in the pre-trial brief of the House prosecution panel. However, the resolution of the presiding officer was deferred upon manifestation of House Prosecution Panel Congressman Chel Diokno that they have filed a renewed request for subpoena. He also said that Escudero yielded to the conduct of oral arguments after the Defense requested to be given a copy of the new request for subpoena, and the senator-judges asked that oral arguments be done. "Basically, the main chunk of the decision of the Presiding Officer has already been prepared even before July 6," Tongol said. Tongol also said that Escudero consulted the senator-judges about the decision during their caucus last Wednesday. "That is the request of the other senator-judges to study it until the weekend and until today. So, handa naman siya (it has been ready) ever since." In a decision read by Escudero on Monday, the Senate impeachment court granted the House prosecution panel’s request to issue a subpoena for the bank and AMLC records of Duterte and her husband. The impeachment court also granted the motion for a subpoena for relevant tax records related to the Vice President. Tongol said that the subpoena will be issued within the day and might be sent to respective entities by Tuesday. He also explained that Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza is also mandated to comply with the subpoena on July 30, 2026, concerning the tax records of the Vice President. "He now has this subpoena to show the President for the President to now respect a co-equal branch of the government for him to issue the permission to the BIR Commissioner," Tongol said. "As the presiding officer has said, it is cognizant that this is the first step that might trigger such permission to be had, and he also explained it in his resolution that without such permission, no evidence from the BIR will be allowed to be taken by the impeachment court." Under Section 71 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, a taxpayer’s record may be opened for inspection upon the order of the President; upon the request of a foreign tax authority, with the approval of the President; and upon the taxpayer’s waiver.