Subpoena for Sara Duterte's Bank, Tax Records Hailed as Victory for Transparency

Advocates for good governance have welcomed the decision of the Senate impeachment court to subpoena the bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte, hailing it as a "victory for transparency." In a statement, the non-government group Pinoy Aksyon said the requested documents are significant references to ferreting out the truth on allegations she had amassed unexplained wealth during her tenure as an elected public official which were not reflected on her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). “It was rather a choice of siding with evidence over speculation, transparency over concealment, and full truth over incomplete picture to aid their consideration of the impeachment case against the Vice President,” Pinoy Aksyon chairperson BenCyrus Ellorin told the Inquirer. The subpoena, Ellorin added, “is a vital key that opens the door for the full truth.” The documents could either prove or disprove the allegations of unexplained wealth, hence, “a big service to the truth-seeking process.” The bank and tax records of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, are expected to be submitted to the impeachment court by 9 a.m. on July 30.