Religious groups back subpoena for VP Sara bank, tax records

Fr. Robert Reyes (center) with some members of the Kingdom Keepers coalition during a protest rally on July 5. (Courtesy: Mata: Asia Press Photo on FB)

A coalition of Catholic, Evangelical and mainline Protestant groups on Sunday urged the Senate impeachment court to grant the House prosecution panel’s request to subpoena the bank records, tax records and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Meanwhile, prosecutors expressed confidence that the request would be approved when the court takes it up on Monday.

The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, is expected to rule on the prosecution’s motion to subpoena the records in connection with Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which alleges unexplained wealth, false Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), and continued business interests.

Kingdom Keepers, led by Fr. Robert Reyes and social anthropologist Dr. Melba Padilla Maggay, rejected the defense’s argument that the subpoenas would violate Duterte’s rights to privacy, confidentiality and due process or amount to a “fishing expedition.”

“The Vice President is an elected public official who has sworn to uphold the laws of the land and the rights and welfare of the Filipino people,” the coalition said.

“She must prove beyond reasonable doubt that she has faithfully served us as Vice President and has refrained from using her office to accumulate ill-gotten wealth. She cannot hide behind the skirt of privacy and confidentiality,” it added.

The coalition also opposed excluding the records of Duterte’s husband and financial records from her tenure as Davao City vice mayor and mayor.

“The people are not stupid. They know that a robber could hide what she has stolen in her husband’s pockets,” it said.

Tolosa: Law, jurisprudence support request 

House prosecution legal spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the request is supported by both the law and jurisprudence, including the impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“We are confident that this will be granted because the basis for our request to subpoena these documents is strong,” Tolosa said.

“Impeachment is an exception… bank secrecy laws. That is clear, specified, if there is an impeachment proceedings,” he added.

Tolosa said records held by the AMLC are not absolutely confidential and argued that the Senate impeachment court has the constitutional authority to compel the production of financial records.

He added that even if the subpoenas are denied, the prosecution’s case under Article II would not collapse because it is supported by documentary and testimonial evidence.

“Our Articles of Impeachment don’t depend on just one piece of evidence… but even so, we will definitely fight to have these documents presented,” he said.

Tolosa said the requested records would enable the impeachment court to compare Duterte’s financial transactions with the assets she declared in her SALNs.

Ridon: Disparity is so vast

He noted that while Duterte declared a net worth of P88.5 million in 2024, AMLC reports reflected P6.7 billion in alleged covered and suspicious transactions involving the bank accounts of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, from 2005 to 2026.

“The disparity is so vast. So to really see the exact number there, we need to open these accounts,” he said.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a House prosecutor, likewise challenged the Duterte camp to allow the release of the financial records if there was nothing to conceal.

“Because, if we really have nothing to hide in tax documents, AMLC documents, bank accounts, I think the better course of action is to just disclose these documents,” Ridon said.

He said the prosecution already has the identifying details of the bank accounts but still requires subpoenas directing the banks and account managers to produce certified records and testify before the impeachment court.

“We have the bank accounts, the numbers, the branches and the bank themselves, but the subpoena on the bank accounts and on the bank managers, these are still pending,” Ridon said.

Separately, Ridon said the defense had focused on minor clerical issues during the first two weeks of the impeachment trial but failed to undermine the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation witnesses who authenticated electronic evidence presented by the prosecution.

“They have nitpicked on the documents but they have not dismantled the authentication and the testimony of the two witnesses,” Ridon said. — Rio N. Araja