A youth group on Wednesday accused five senator-judges of shielding Vice President Sara Duterte from scrutiny after they opposed the disclosure of her bank and tax records, as the impeachment court moved closer to examining documents sought by prosecutors.

The Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) called Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Loren Legarda, and Camille Villar “among the most corrupt” for filing written manifestations objecting to the subpoenas, saying their actions could obstruct efforts to investigate allegations against Duterte.

“Once published, we expect these manifestations to be nothing more than judicial grandstanding by these wannabe Sara defense attorneys,” SPARK said in a statement.

On Monday, Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s ruling allowed the issuance of subpoenas to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for Duterte’s tax and financial records.

Senate Impeachment Court spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol confirmed that the five senator-judges filed separate manifestations but said he had yet to review their contents.

“Hindi pa po ako privy dun eh. So, hindi ko pa po nababasa. But, I will try to ask about the contents of those manifestations,” Tongol said.

Among those who publicly explained her position, Legarda said she supported granting the requests only partially, arguing that the inquiry should focus on Duterte’s current term as vice president.

“Applying the legal reasoning of the Supreme Court, the inquiry should principally cover records from 30 June 2022 onward, corresponding to the period during which Sara Duterte has held the impeachable office of Vice President,” Legarda said in the Senate journal.

She added that subpoenas should only cover “specifically identified records materially connected” to the impeachment articles and should remain subject to confidentiality rules and safeguards.

Senator Robin Padilla also placed his opposition on record, citing constitutional protections on due process and equal protection under the law.

“Sang-ayon po sa Artikulo III, Seksyon 1 ng ating Konstitusyon, Bill of Rights, ang nagsasabing hindi dapat alisan ng buhay, kalayaan, o ari-arian ang sinumang tao nang hindi kaparaanan ng batas,” Padilla said.

The senator argued that the same legal standards should apply to all impeachable officials regardless of position or identity.

SPARK, however, said the objections risked limiting the impeachment court’s ability to uncover evidence against Duterte.

“It is already overwhelmingly clear that for the Filipino people to establish the extent of the Vice President’s unbecoming behavior all these ‘judges’ do is derail the proceedings and protect Duterte,” the group said.

The youth organization also accused the five senators of having previous controversies or links to alleged irregularities, without providing specific details.

The senators named by SPARK have not responded to the group’s accusations as of press time.

Tongol said that under the Senate impeachment rules, there is no provision allowing a motion for reconsideration against the presiding officer’s ruling on the subpoenas.

“Walang nakalagay na pwedeng mag-motion for reconsideration at kung hindi po inilalagay 'yung recourse na 'yun, then they have to find another recourse in the suppletory Rules of Court regarding the issuance of the subpoena,” he added.