Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Office of the Commissioner Chief of Staff Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez on Friday raised concerns over the public exposure of revenue officers’ names after the defense panel displayed confidential Letters of Authority (LOAs) on screen during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Garcia-Marquez raised the concern after defense counsel Kristine Ferrer presented the LOAs issued to Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, both dated April 29, 2026.
“Your Honor, gusto ko lang po i-raise nung na-flash po yung copy ng LOA sa screen kanina, naipakita po kasi yung name ng mga revenue officers. It should have been redacted,” Garcia-Marquez told the impeachment court.
Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero assured the witness that the names would be redacted from the documents to be submitted to the court.
“We will redact in the document that will be submitted to the court,” Escudero said.
“But it was already flashed [on] the screen. 'Yung concern ko po doon, Your Honor, is the names,” she said.
“The court would look into it, Atty. Anne, and shall consult with you before we excuse you later,” Escudero said.
Private prosecutor Erwin Matib also raised concerns over the disclosure, saying it violated the privacy of the revenue officers involved.
“So, we manifest, Your Honor, that there has been a violation of the privacy of the people involved. Your Honor, their names were flashed on the screen for everyone to see,” Matib said.
An LOA authorizes the BIR to examine a taxpayer’s accounting records and other relevant documents as part of a tax audit.
As the afternoon session resumed, Escudero ordered the original livestream showing the revenue officers’ names in the LOAs to be taken down and reuploaded with the names redacted.
He also reminded both parties to exercise caution to avoid violating the Data Privacy Act and to ensure the safety of individuals mentioned during the proceedings.
