By Erika Mae P. Sinaking, Reporter
THE HOUSE of Representatives Justice Committee has issued separate subpoenas to the Commission on Audit (CoA) and Bureau of Internal Revenue, ordering senior officials from both agencies to testify and submit government records tied to the impeachment proceedings against Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte‑Carpio.
In orders dated March 31, the panel directed the agencies to produce documents and appear before lawmakers, signaling a deeper evidentiary phase in the impeachment inquiry as the committee evaluates whether grounds exist to advance the case.
The subpoena to the audit body was directed at State Auditor V Gloria A. Camora of the Commission on Audit-Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, the specialized unit that has custody of records covering the use of confidential and intelligence funds by the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education for 2022 and 2023.
Ms. Camora oversees audit files related to confidential fund disbursements during Ms. Duterte’s concurrent tenure as Vice-President and Education secretary, expenditures that sit at the center of the impeachment complaints.
Lawmakers ordered the audit body to submit original copies of all liquidation documents filed by the Office of the Vice-President for confidential funds covering the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023. The committee also sought related bank records, internal audit reports, communications involving education officials and any final findings issued by the audit body.
Ms. Camora’s testimony is necessary to “identify and authenticate the requested documents,” underscoring the committee’s aim to build an official paper trail based on primary government records, according to the summons.
The impeachment complaints allege, among other grounds, the improper liquidation and use of confidential funds by Ms. Duterte’s office.
The CoA unit responsible for reviewing intelligence and confidential expenditures is viewed by lawmakers as a key source of evidence to establish the factual basis of those claims.
The complaints were filed separately by Joel T. Saballa and others, endorsed by Party‑list Rep. Leila M. de Lima, and by Nathaniel G. Cabrera, endorsed by Reps. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr. and Paolo P. Ortega V.
The committee earlier found both sufficient in form and substance and is now conducting hearings to determine probable cause.
TAX RECORDS
Separately, the panel summoned Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza, seeking almost two decades of tax records linked to Ms. Duterte and her husband, Manases R. Carpio.
The committee is demanding certified copies of the couple’s annual income tax returns from 2007 to 2025, as well as tax compliance and income records tied to business entities in which they are alleged to hold interests.
The subpoena directed Mr. Mendoza to identify and authenticate income tax returns and annual financial statements filed with the tax bureau, and to testify on the documents submitted to his office.
Lawmakers have said the tax records are crucial to assessing claims of unexplained wealth and potential violations of public trust raised in the impeachment filings.
Both subpoenas were signed by Justice committee Chairperson Gerville R. Luistro and Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III, and attested by Secretary‑General Cheloy E. Velicaria‑Garafil.
The committee’s actions mark a broadening of its inquiry as it moves to compel testimony and records from key oversight agencies central to the allegations under review.
The House body has also summoned Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla to testify and turn over the Vice-President’s wealth declarations.
Mr. Remulla on Monday said he would comply with the order and appear at an April 14 hearing. He has been ordered to submit certified copies of Ms. Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth covering 2022 to 2025, as well as earlier periods from 2007 to 2013 and 2016 to 2022.
The records are needed “for the committee to be apprised of the assets, liabilities and net worth” declared by the Vice-President from the time she started public service until the present, according to the subpoena.
Political analysts earlier said the impeachment proceedings risk undercutting Ms. Duterte’s position as a leading contender for the 2028 presidential election, with corruption allegations threatening to erode the political capital she has built since sweeping into office in 2022.
The move to unseat Ms. Duterte intensifies a high-stakes political standoff between her and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., once allies who ran together on a unity ticket but have since fallen out and emerged as rivals.
