A senior House member said there should be no reason to oppose the proposed opening and inventory of the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box now under the custody of the Senate Impeachment Court.
House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the move sought by House prosecutors is a transparency and case management measure meant to determine the contents of the sealed box before the impeachment trial proceeds.
“The real question is not why the prosecution wants the box opened,” the solon said.
“The real question is: if the box is already in the custody of the impeachment court, why should anyone be afraid of knowing what is inside it?” he asked.
House prosecutors have asked the Senate Impeachment Court to supervise the opening, inventory, and pre-marking of the sealed BIR box to help streamline trial proceedings and prevent disputes over the documents later on.
He stressed that the request does not mean the documents will be automatically admitted as evidence.
“Napakalinaw ng aming hinihingi. Hindi namin sinasabing tanggapin agad bilang ebidensya ang laman ng kahon. Hindi namin sinasabing paniwalaan agad ang laman nito. Ang sinasabi lang namin: buksan natin at alamin kung ano ang nasa loob,” Adiong said.
He said critics were confusing the simple act of opening and inventorying the box with the separate process of admitting evidence during trial.
“Magkaibang-magkaiba ang dalawang bagay na iyan. Inventory pa lang ang pinag-uusapan, may ilan nang gustong mag-panic,” he said.
Adiong maintained that the proposal is consistent with the purpose of pre-trial proceedings, which is to clarify issues, identify evidence, and ensure an orderly trial.
He said it would be difficult to justify keeping the contents of the box undisclosed when the records had already been transmitted to the impeachment court and placed under its custody.
“Kung nasa korte na ang kahon, kung bahagi na ito ng records ng kaso, bakit parang may gustong manatiling lihim ang laman nito?” Adiong said.
He added that transparency would benefit both the prosecution and the defense by allowing both sides to know what records are available before the trial begins.
He said the prosecution remains focused on presenting its case through evidence and witnesses before the impeachment court.