Prosecutors hits ‘irony’ in VP Sara lawyers showing ‘confidential’ VP Sara tax records

The House prosecution panel highlighted the “irony” in the decision of the lawyers of Vice President Sara Duterte to present her “confidential” tax records, despite previously entering their objection to the same.

Private prosecutor Atty. Erwin Matib highlighted the matter during the cross examination of defense lawyer Atty. Kristine Ferrer of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) official Atty. Anne Lorraine Garcia-Marquez.

Ferrer confronted the witness with a copy of the letter of authority (LOA) that was issued to the Vice President for the conduct of an audit on her income tax returns from 2014 to 2025.

With the actual document being flashed before the court for the public’s view, Garcia-Marquez explained that the LOA was confidential in nature.

This led Matib to enter a manifestation before the court that it was the defense that had opted to present the records “which according to them are supposed to be confidential.”

Ferrer, however, stressed that it was the prerogative of their client to consent to the presentation of such records as part of her trial.

Even with the consideration, the private prosecutor expressed that their group was surprised with the decision to flash the LOA.

“It’s just ironic for us, your Honor, that they are flashing this,” Matib stated.

“Stranger things have happened, Atty. Erwin,” presiding officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero promptly quipped.

LOA status strictly confidential

After the brief exchange between parties, Ferrer then proceeded to ask the BIR official whether she was aware if there had been a notice of discrepancy (ND) that had already been issued to Duterte.

In response, Garcia-Marquez expressed that information pertaining to the current status of the LOA was confidential in nature, and that she was not at liberty to answer such queries.

“I know the answer but I cannot state it because it’s confidential,” she said.

The BIR official further stated that the same confidentiality provision was applied to the preliminary assessment notice, final assessment notice, formal letter of demand, and whether or not Duterte had filed any protest to the same.

She reiterated that the entire process of the LOA, from the issuance to the result, could not be disclosed in accordance with the BIR Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 26-2008.

Amid the attempts of Ferrer to ferret out information regarding the LOA, Escudero ruled that any documents pertaining to the issuance were confidential as prescribed in the RMC.

“At least now we see that confidentiality works both ways,” the senator said.

Garcia-Marquez currently holds the role of Chief of Staff of the BIR Office of the Commissioner.

The representative from the tax auditing agency was among the witnesses that were called to the stand by the prosecution panel to prove its case on Article II of the ongoing impeachment trial of the Vice President.