A human rights advocate and public interest lawyer said constitutional accountability processes take precedence over statutory confidentiality rules in connection with impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, as the House of Representatives continues preliminary hearings.
Atty. Audie Bucoy made the statement in an interview on DZRH’s “Dos Por Dos,” addressing concerns that discussions involving financial records and sensitive information at the House level could violate the Bank Secrecy Law and the Data Privacy Act.
The House is currently conducting preliminary proceedings on impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, which include allegations involving possible violations of anti-money laundering rules, bank secrecy provisions, and data privacy laws.
Bucoy said the impeachment process is constitutional in nature and begins in the House of Representatives, where the initiation stage forms part of the full procedure.
“Yun ang proseso ng impeachment. Hindi yan sa Senado lang. Nagsisimula yan sa Kamara. Kasi kung hindi natin isasama yung proseso ng Kamara doon sa buong proseso ng impeachment, kulang,” he said.
On concerns that discussing banking information during preliminary hearings could breach the Bank Secrecy Law, Bucoy said statutory confidentiality provisions cannot be used to obstruct constitutional mechanisms.
“Statutory secrecy cannot override accountability. It cannot defeat constitutional processes,” he said, adding that public interest in accountability prevails over individual claims of privacy in such proceedings.
The lawyer also addressed the Data Privacy Act, saying it is designed to protect personal and privileged information from unauthorized disclosure and misuse.
“Ang Data Privacy Act ay by what the name implies, ito ay pinoprotektahan ang mga privileged information. Pribilehiyong impormasyon ukol sa isang tao. Hindi pwedeng labagin sapagkat pwede itong gamitin, abusuhin to invade the privacy,” Bucoy said.
However, he stressed that government officials cannot invoke privacy protections to avoid scrutiny in matters involving alleged corruption or misuse of public funds.
“Like ito, may issue about corruption, may issue about plunder, may issue about pandarambong pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan. You cannot hide behinds tatutory secrecy laws,” he said.
Bucoy added that the House of Representatives plays a constitutional role as the initiating body in impeachment cases, making its preliminary proceedings part of the legal framework rather than separate from it.
