Duterte impeachment trial: Group urges full disclosure of VP’s finances

Members of Akbayan Party, Magdalo, Mamamayang Liberal, EveryWoman, and Tindig Pilipinas gather outside the Senate in Pasay City on July 20, 2026. The multisectoral rally urged the Senate impeachment court to subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank and tax records and called on her legal team to stop delaying the proceedings and face the evidence. PHOTO BY INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA MANILA, Philippines — Youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (Spark) on Monday urged the senator-judges in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial to subpoena her bank and tax records, saying “full disclosure” is necessary to ensure accountability. Members of Spark gathered outside the Senate on Monday morning, rejecting the Duterte defense team’s claim that releasing the documents would be excessive or oppressive. The Senate vote on Monday afternoon is seen as a pivotal procedural step in Duterte’s impeachment trial, now on its seventh day. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Senate court to vote on Sara Duterte’s financial docs LIVE UPDATES: Impeachment trial of VP Sara Duterte | July 20, 2026 They said public officials accused of corruption should be subject to thorough scrutiny. “It is the State’s primary obligation to investigate and prosecute all instances of government corruption. It must leave no stone unturned,” the group said in a statement. “These documents are vital to ensuring that the full picture of Duterte’s financial history as a public official is disclosed and scrutinized by the Filipino people,” the group added. Article continues after this advertisement They also said senator-judges who oppose issuing subpoenas for the records, despite the need for a thorough examination of the Vice President’s finances, would be aiding efforts to shield alleged corruption. “Any senator callous enough to vote no seeks to evade accountability, not just for the sake of the Vice President, but also for themselves. They are equally as corrupt,” Spark said. Article continues after this advertisement The youth organization joined other progressive groups, such as the August Twenty-One Movement (Atom), in calling for Duterte’s conviction, citing allegations of abuse of power and misuse of public funds during her tenure as vice president. “Duterte cannot hide behind her defense panel nor the senator-judges who are lawyering for her,” Spark said. “In fact, the impeachment proceedings demonstrate a very crucial fact: there is no greater time than now to hold all public officials involved in corruption accountable and remove them from office as soon as possible,” the group added. Earlier, Atom cautioned against repeating the controversial “second envelope” episode in former President Joseph Estrada’s 2001 impeachment trial. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Atom said attempts to block crucial evidence eventually sparked public anger and contributed to Estrada’s ouster. /mcm