Palace: Marcos yet to receive request to authorize opening of BIR box 

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has not received any request to authorize the opening of the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box containing the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

This was according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Thursday after she was asked in a Palace briefing if Marcos has given authorization to open the BIR box in the impeachment trial of Duterte.

“Sa ngayon wala pa rin po. Wala pa rin pong ibinibigay na anumang request sa ating Pangulo. Wala pa pong naibibigay sa atin na impormasyon patungkol diyan,” Castro said.

(As of now, there’s nothing. No request has been submitted to the President. We haven't received any information regarding that matter.)

Asked where the request should come from, she added, “Hindi ko po alam, maybe sa prosecutors, maybe sa Senado. Tingnan po natin, sa taumbayan pwede rin.”

(I don't know—maybe from the prosecutors, maybe from the Senate. Let's see. It could also come from the public.)

The sealed green box containing the tax records of Duterte and her husband was sent back on July 7 to the BIR, a day after the Senate impeachment court ordered that it be returned unopened.

The Vice President's legal team previously said it would allow the box to be opened, but only if it is done during an executive session.

Senator-judges on Wednesday deferred action on the House prosecution panel's request to subpoena the tax and bank records of Duterte, Carpio, and the businesses linked to them. —RF, GMA News