The House prosecution panel expressed its pleasure over the impeachment court’s approval of the subpoena duces tecum for Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank records, although it emphasized that the move was not a ruling, but a vital part of the process.
“Ito ay tagumpay ng katotohanan, tagumpay ito ng pananagutan,” Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said.
The lawmaker said this was a victory for the impeachment court, which did not allow its sole constitutionally-vested authority to be overridden by common laws.
“Ang usapin dito hindi tagumpay ng prosecution o tagumpay ng defense. Tagumpay din ito ng impeachment court because we are seeing here na the impeachment court is upholding its constitutional authority,” she added.
For Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, this was likewise a victory for the masses.
Deputy Speaker Janette Garin congratulated the Senate court for its decision, paving the way for the disclosure of the truth. She reiterated, however, that this was not yet a verdict but simply permission to issue a subpoena for documents pertinent to the case.
“We would like to congratulate the impeachment court dahil hindi pa man tapos, pero ito’y isang importanteng hakbang patungo sa pag-comply sa proseso hanggang matapos at makita ang katotohanan,” she said.
“Ang nangyari ay hindi hatol kundi isang pag-tugot (approval) ng impeachment court and the Senate at this point in time na i-subpoena, ipadala ang mga dokumento related sa tax records and financial transactions,” she clarified.
Garin quoted the Senate impeachment court spokesperson who described the decision as “surgical” rather than “sweeping.” The lawmaker likened the process to removing a tumor, and not the entire afflicted organ.
Earlier, the impeachment court allowed for the issuance of a subpoena for Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio’s bank records during and prior to her term as vice president.
The subpoena excludes the records for foreign currency-denominated accounts and for accounts relating to certain businesses.
