Romer Butuyan 
IGINIIT ni House prosecutor at Bicol Saro partylist Rep. Terry Ridon na ang basbas ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) na isumite sa impeachment court ang tax records ni Vice President Sara Duterte ay hindi nangangahulugan ng pakikialam ng Palasyo sa paglilitis sa pangalawang pangulo.
“I think wala naman. Dahil ministerial request naman ito mula po sa Pangulo. So ibig sabihin, irrespective of whoever it is, whether it is any other impeachable official, I think the President will still give his consent towards the opening of the BIR documents, lalo’t higit, it will further the cause of accountability and further the cause of justice,” wika ni Ridon.
“To be clear, yung BIR commissioner will have to get the approval from the President. I’m not quite certain whether it’s an oral approval or a written approval, pero better to ask the BIR Commission but as far as we know because they had complied and submitted the tax documents nakuha nila yung approval from the President pero I’m quite certain meron yung written approval from the President himself,” dagdag niya.
Ipinunto naman ni House trial spokesperson at Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, na hindi dapat tignan ang political identity ng opisyal na humiling o nag-apruba para mailabas ang dokumento, bagkus ang bigat ng official record bilang ebidensya.
“Ako para po sa akin, it does not matter kung sino po ‘yung nag-request nito. What matters is nandyan po yung mga ebidensya,” sabi ni Alonto Adiong.
Naniniwala si Alonto Adiong na kung isasailalim sa judicial scrutiny ang tax at financial records, maging si Duterte ay mabibigyan ng patas na pagkakataon na kuwestyunin ito o magbigay linaw sa harap ng senator-judges.
