The prosecution on Monday asserted that the Filipino people, including Vice President Sara Duterte’s supporters, are entitled to the truth about her allegedly hidden wealth.
“I think they deserve that, na maibigay na natin sa kanila ang katotohanan kasi, unang-una, nangyari kasi, you try to reference that with the Estrada impeachment court, feeling nila na-doble ‘yung betrayal sa kanila. I think the people now realize that na ang deserve lang talaga nila malaman, not necessarily to convict the respondent, but to know the truth,” prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said during a press conference.
“Even if you try to analyze it on both ways, may karapatan din, even ‘yung mga supporters po of the respondent, may karapatan din po sila malaman kung ‘yung sinusuportahan nila ay totoong wala siyang hina-hide o tinatago na yaman,” he added.
The lawmaker said that the Filipino people’s call was simple: truth, and not to impede its disclosure.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Duterte, who occupies a public office, cannot be considered a private individual, making her records subject to legitimate public interest, especially in the context of an impeachment trial.
“Kailangan nating intindihin sa ating taumbayan na ang Bise Presidente ay hindi private individual. Ito po ay mga public records na inaasahan po, bilang isang public official ay ibigay niya sa mga ahensyang nangangasiwa dito,” Adiong told the media.
Although Duterte is entitled to a degree of privacy, the court is trying her “fitness” to remain the second-highest official in the country, he argued.
He said that the impeachment court should be privy to information that will enable them to determine whether Duterte’s declared SALN is consistent with her actual wealth.
“It is imperative for the Vice President, knowing that she is the second highest official in the land and a public officer at that, (who) occupies a public office, which certainly—according to the Constitution and many other laws—should be resolved by the impeachment court,” the lawmaker asserted.
Today, the impeachment court is tackling whether to issue a subpoena for Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio’s bank records, which the prosecution hopes to encompass files from the beginning of her career as a public servant to her term as vice president, and the records of the private businesses she has been linked to.
The prosecution explains that records from before her time as vice president are pertinent to the case, as it would provide a point of reference for examining how and when she had amassed her wealth.
