Marcos nod on BIR box not blessing for Duterte impeachment, prosecution says

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s authorization for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to submit Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Senate should not be taken as a blessing upon the impeachment proceedings, the prosecution panel said on Thursday. Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the House of Representatives and the prosecution panel, clarified that the President’s nod was part of a legal process, not an endorsement of the impeachment itself. "The President’s authorization does not mean he is blessing the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President," Ridon stated. This clarification comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding the impeachment process, highlighting the intricate power dynamics within Philippine politics where the President and Vice President may belong to different political factions. The President's cooperation with legal procedures does not necessarily equate to his support for the impeachment, according to the prosecution.