THE House impeachment prosecution panel is prepared to turn over documents and other evidence gathered during the impeachment proceedings to the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to assist separate investigations into allegations involving Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, her husband and officials of government agencies.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia-ur Rahman Alonto Adiong, House prosecution spokesperson, said the panel was willing to cooperate with both agencies, which are examining allegations involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery and possible tax violations involving companies linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
Adiong said the prosecution’s evidence, much of which was presented during congressional hearings and the Senate impeachment trial, could be made available to authorities upon request.
‘We are focused on the impeachment trial, but if the BIR requests the documents we already have, the prosecution panel is more than willing to provide them because these are public records,’ Adiong said.
The offer comes as the Office of the Ombudsman continues investigating allegations involving confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said the Ombudsman had been investigating the confidential funds and bribery allegations involving officials of the two agencies since 2024.
That same year, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability investigated P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and DepEd during Duterte’s tenure. The committee examined questions involving liquidation records, acknowledgment receipts and the disbursement of public funds before transmitting its findings to the Ombudsman for further investigation.
Luistro said the withdrawal of three impeachment articles covering confidential funds, bribery and grave threats did not terminate separate investigations or prevent the filing of possible criminal or civil cases.
‘We are prepared to submit the pieces of evidence in our possession in response to Ombudsman Remulla’s interest in examining the prosecution’s evidence. These may be used in investigations or preliminary investigations that could lead to criminal or civil cases,’ Luistro said.
The prosecution’s offer also extends to financial records involving three companies associated with Duterte and Carpio: Metro City Chow Inc., Cale88 Foods Corp. and Gencorp.
Adiong said the financial analysis presented during the impeachment proceedings identified an alleged P1.41-billion discrepancy between the companies’ bank inflows and declared revenues from 2022 to 2025.
He also disclosed that the BIR had issued a letter of authority for a tax examination of Cale88 Foods Corp., although there was no confirmation that similar audit authorizations had been issued for the other two companies.
‘We are talking about not just one company, but three companies,’ Adiong said, identifying Metro City Chow, Cale88 and Gencorp.
The lawmaker said the financial discrepancies warranted examination by tax authorities, which have the means to obtain and evaluate the necessary corporate and banking records. However, he stressed that the BIR would have to independently determine whether the questioned bank deposits represented taxable income or legitimate transactions such as loans and fund transfers.
Adiong said government agencies could coordinate in sharing information and documents when necessary to protect the interests of the state and support appropriate investigations.
Meanwhile, the Senate impeachment trial is scheduled to resume on November 9, with Duterte’s defense set to present evidence on the remaining Article II charge involving alleged unexplained wealth. The defense had originally requested 30 trial days to present its evidence covering all four impeachment articles.
Luistro said she expects the defense’s requested time to be substantially reduced to 10 full trial days following the withdrawal of three of the four articles. She said the trial could conclude before the end of November if the defense limits its presentation to 10 days.
However, she cautioned that the proceedings could extend into December if the defense requires additional time to present its witnesses and documentary evidence.