Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V questioned the defense panel’s opposition to subpoenas seeking Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank, tax and Anti-Money Laundering Council records, arguing that the documents should be examined by the Senate Impeachment Court rather than blocked outright.
“Simple lang ang tanong ng ordinaryong Pilipino: Kung walang itinatago, bakit takot sa bank records?” Ortega said in a statement.
He clarified that the prosecution was not asking the impeachment court to convict Duterte based solely on allegations or on the requested documents.
“What the prosecution is asking is for the Court to allow access to evidence that may help establish the truth. Whether those records ultimately support or weaken the allegations is a matter that should be determined through the judicial process—not prevented from the outset,” Ortega said.
He said the immediate issue was not whether the records proved wrongdoing, but whether they should be made available to the court for evaluation.
“Hindi pa ito usapin ng guilt. Usapin pa lang ito kung dapat bang makita ng Impeachment Court ang mga dokumentong maaaring makatulong sa paghahanap ng katotohanan.”
Ortega described the defense’s position as contradictory, saying it had maintained that the records would not establish anything incriminating while opposing their production.
“Kung ang argumento nila ay wala namang mapapatunayan ang mga bank records, AMLC reports, at tax records, bakit kailangang pigilan ang paglabas ng mga ito? Hayaan nating ang ebidensya mismo ang magsalita,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that subpoenas are standard legal mechanisms used by courts to compel the production of potentially relevant evidence.
“A subpoena is not a declaration of guilt. It is simply the Court exercising its authority to determine whether evidence relevant to the case should be produced,” Ortega said.
He maintained that transparency was essential because the impeachment proceedings involved public office and public trust.
“Ang impeachment ay hindi para protektahan ang mga dokumento. Ang impeachment ay para protektahan ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa mga opisyal ng gobyerno,” he said.
Ortega urged the public to focus on whether the requested evidence should be examined by the court rather than on what he described as procedural distractions.
“Ang tanong ngayon ay hindi kung sino ang mas mahusay gumawa ng legal na argumento. Ang tanong ay kung dapat bang makita ng Impeachment Court ang ebidensyang hinihingi ng prosecution. Kung naniniwala ang depensa na walang makikitang mali, wala silang dapat ikatakot sa katotohanan,” Ortega said.
He said the prosecution would continue using lawful processes to obtain and present evidence it considers relevant to the impeachment case.
“Sa impeachment, hindi dapat katakutan ang ebidensya. Ang dapat katakutan ay ang pagtatangkang pigilan ang paglabas ng katotohanan.”