Davao:Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo has redirected attention from Vice President Sara Z. Duterte's financial dealings to the legal advisors within her circle, questioning their role in her reported legal troubles. During an interpellation session with Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez, chief of staff at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Tulfo expressed his belief that the advisors have failed to guide Duterte away from legal complications now highlighted in her impeachment trial.
According to Philippines News agency, Tulfo's comments followed his inquiry into a BIR Form 2316 linked to Duterte's 2023 income tax return. The form indicated the City Government of Davao as her employer and detailed her compensation income. Marquez clarified that this document simply showed compensation income and did not support Tulfo's assertion of it being for legal services. The BIR is currently auditing the tax returns of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, to determine any potential tax law violations.
Tulfo raised concerns regarding the absence of advice on constitutional restrictions provided to Duterte, who is also a lawyer. He cited Article VII, Section 13 of the constitution, which prohibits the President or Vice President from holding other offices, practicing another profession, or engaging in business while in office. Moreover, Article VII, Section 6 states that they should not receive additional emoluments from the government or any other source during their tenure.
This issue is the second of its kind, Tulfo noted, following a similar situation on September 21 involving testimony from Securities and Exchange Commission official Gerardo del Rosario. At that time, questions arose about Duterte's continued involvement in businesses declared in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. SEC records indicated that Duterte remained a director and 20-percent shareholder of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. from 2022 to 2025. Del Rosario refrained from declaring a constitutional violation, leaving it to the Senate to decide if the records indicated prohibited business participation.
Tulfo emphasized that the recurrence of such issues suggests a failure on the part of Duterte's advisors to identify potential legal problems before they escalated to impeachment proceedings. The ongoing BIR testimony is part of the prosecution's case under Article II of the impeachment complaint, involving allegations about Duterte's wealth, financial disclosures, and business interests.
