The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has denied the petition of lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, seeking to halt a congressional subpoena on his tax records, declaring the request moot.
However, Carpio’s camp has moved to challenge the ruling.
His legal team, led by lawyer Peter Danao, filed a motion for reconsideration, arguing that the issue remains unresolved.
According to Danao, the documents submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were placed under seal, meaning disclosure has not actually taken place.
“We filed a motion for reconsideration. That can’t be mooted because it was sealed,” Danao told reporters in Filipino, raising what he described as a broader constitutional issue: whether lawmakers can access private tax returns without the taxpayer’s consent.
The House Committee on Justice has yet to decide whether to unseal the records, amid ongoing debate over its authority. The subpoena covers both Carpio’s personal tax filings and those of his firm, Carpio Lawyers.
Danao urged the panel to exercise “judicial courtesy” and defer action while the court resolves the matter.
“That’s a judicial courtesy. You know that the court will decide on the matter, why would you pre-empt it?” he said.
The camp warned that if lawmakers proceed with opening the records in upcoming hearings, they would return to court and may raise contempt issues.
“The prohibition is absolute. There is no exception. Sa katunayan, pati media, pinagbabawal na i-report ang mga bank transaction reports. Yan po ang batas na pinasa ng Kongreso na dapat sundin ng lahat, lalo na ng AMLC,” Danao said.
In his petition, Carpio argued that the subpoena violates his constitutional rights against unreasonable searches and infringes on his right to privacy.
He also maintained that the committee may have exceeded its authority.
Carpio is seeking to hold respondents liable for alleged violations of provisions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Bank Secrecy Law, and the Data Privacy Act.