MANILA — Senate Secretary and impeachment court clerk Renato Bantug Jr. said a sealed box containing the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte cannot be opened for pre-marking unless authorized by the impeachment court.

Speaking to reporters during pre-trial proceedings on Wednesday, Bantug said neither the pre-trial conference nor the clerk of court has the authority to rule on requests involving sealed evidence.

His statement followed reports that the House prosecution panel had submitted a manifestation asking the court to allow the opening of a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue box that had been turned over to the House justice committee during impeachment proceedings.

“The pre-trial conference cannot decide on that. As clerk of court, I cannot decide on that. It is a matter that only the impeachment court can determine. At present, we have a sealed box whose contents remain unknown,” he said.

Bantug added that he has not yet discussed the matter with Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

Meanwhile, he reported progress in the ongoing pre-trial process after an additional team was assigned to assist in document marking.

Despite the development, Bantug said it remains uncertain whether the marking process will be completed by Thursday, June 25.

He expressed hope that the task would be finished by then, adding that Friday, June 26, would be the “worst-case scenario” for completion, while Saturday, June 27, would be reserved for housekeeping and court management matters.