THE House impeachment prosecution panel is prepared to turn over financial documents and other evidence to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to assist in its separate examination of possible tax violations involving companies linked to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur has confirmed the panel’s willingness to cooperate with tax authorities, stressing that the BIR may independently examine the financial discrepancies uncovered during the impeachment trial while prosecutors concentrate on the remaining unexplained wealth charge.
“So sa amin naman, we are focused on the impeachment trial, eh, kung magkakaroon po ng request or let’s say, ano, ng BIR with the documents that we already have, we are more… willing naman ang prosecution panel, because this is public record eh,” Alonto Adiong explained.
Alonto Adiong disclosed that he was aware the BIR had already authorized a tax examination of Cale88 Foods Corp., following the bureau’s earlier confirmation that it had issued a letter of authority covering the company, which is associated with Carpio.
“Alam ko, ang BIR, meron nang na-issue na letter of authority, no?” Adiong disclosed.
The lawmaker explained that the possible tax violations go beyond Cale88 because the prosecution’s financial examination identified substantial differences between reported corporate revenues and money deposited into the bank accounts of three companies associated with the vice president and her husband. However, there is no confirmation that the BIR has issued separate audit authorizations for the other two companies.
“And we’re talking of—we’re talking here of not only one company, ha. We’re talking of three companies,” Alonto Adiong emphasized.
“Ito yung Metro City Chow Incorporated, Cale88, at saka Gencorp,” Alonto Adiong identified, referring to the three corporations whose financial records were examined during the impeachment proceedings.
The prosecution disclosed Thursday that forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera identified an alleged P1.41-billion discrepancy between the bank inflows and declared revenues of the three companies from 2022 to 2025, raising questions about whether their financial statements accurately reflected their reported revenues and taxable income.
“It’s a difference of hundreds of millions doon sa dineklara nila, doon sa audited financial statement nila, without the real income, yung pasok ng pera, ng kita nitong mga kumpanya na ito, na base po doon sa corporate accounts ng mga kumpanya, sa mga bangko kung saan meron po silang standing accounts,” Alonto Adiong stressed.
Under Section 248(B) of the National Internal Revenue Code, failure to report sales, receipts or income in an amount exceeding 30 percent of that declared in a tax return may constitute substantial underdeclaration and prima facie evidence of a false or fraudulent return. However, the BIR must determine whether the questioned bank inflows represent taxable sales, receipts or income, rather than loans, transfers or other legitimate transactions.
“I’m sure the BIR has all the means to review and to get access to documents that they need, and they need to secure para po makita nila kung merong probative value yung mga lumabas na mga ebidensya o mga lumabas na mga testimony,” Alonto Adiong explained.
The BIR’s examination is separate from the impeachment proceedings, and any finding of tax deficiencies or fraudulent declarations would require an independent investigation and compliance with applicable legal procedures. Duterte’s defense, meanwhile, continues to dispute the prosecution’s interpretation of the financial evidence.
“Meron naman pong ugnayan ang mga ahensya para doon po sa information sharing, no o document sharing, kung kinakailangan ito for the very purpose of keeping the interest of the state intact and to pursue the interest of the state,” Alonto Adiong maintained.
metrosundaily
