Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial: Oral Arguments on Subpoena of Tax Records Set

After days of witness presentation, the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, July 15, will hold oral arguments on the House prosecution panel’s request to subpoena the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Mans Carpio, and businesses linked to them. During Tuesday’s hearing, Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano and House prosecutor Defensor moved that the time be increased to 15 minutes for oral arguments for each side and a 10-minute rebuttal. Vice President Sara Duterte’s statements that she ordered a kill job on President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, aside from wanting to cut the head of the Chief Executive, are all admissions against her interest. “What is consistent here is the fact that the Vice President never denied her statements in the November 2024 press conference and it was not denied in the answer and even after three days when she was asked about this, she had an opportunity to clarify her statement and there is no agreement to kill, sabihin niyang hindi biro biro lang ito, she did not take it back,” private prosector Benjamin Tolosa Jr, said in a press conference. Jeremy Lotoc, NBI regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and former chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, said the Vice President betrayed public trust when she threatened to have President Marcos Jr., First Lady, and former House Speaker Romualdez killed. Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson asked whether Lotoc had the impression that the supposed "Oplan Romanov" threat was directed at the Vice President. The NBI official said he believes it referred to an alleged assassination plot against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and the First Family—not Vice President Sara Duterte. Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano cautioned against concluding that Mayor Baste Duterte, who reportedly first mentioned Oplan Romanov publicly, had threatened the First Family. Senator-judge Robin Padilla asked about Lotoc’s professional background, credentials, and cases filed against him. The witness maintained that it is entirely normal for law enforcement officers to face cases due to the nature of their job. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian asked Lotoc whether he believes the Vice President can carry out the alleged threat against the President and his family. The witness answered in the affirmative, saying it’s because she is the second-highest government official and the daughter of someone who faces charges of crimes against humanity for alleged extrajudicial killings The impeachment court excused Lotoc past 7 p.m. The oral arguments on the House prosecution panel's request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and businesses linked to them shall be held on Wednesday. Under the revised rules, the prosecution and defense would each have 15 minutes to present their arguments and 10 minutes for rebuttal. The Senator-Judges, meanwhile, were given 10 minutes each to explain whether the motion should be granted. Gatchalian joined Cayetano's motion to hold a caucus after the oral arguments on Wednesday. The House prosecution panel will be presenting more witnesses to testify on the fourth Article of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, which covers her assertion that she had arranged for someone to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez if she is killed. Impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol said this on Tuesday evening, following the announcement that the House prosecution panel will no longer present Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and House Legislative Security Bureau executive director Captain Belinda Bello as witnesses. Tongol said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag will not be the last witness that the prosecution team will ask to testify on Article IV, adding that other prosecution witnesses are still unnamed.