The Supreme Court has confirmed that Michael Poa, former spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), has officially joined Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team as co-counsel in her petition questioning the constitutionality of her impeachment case.

On Monday, 3 March, the Supreme Court’s Office of the Spokesperson told reporters: “We are confirming that Atty. Michael Poa filed his Entry of Appearance as co-counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte.”

Duterte filed the petition before the Supreme Court after 215 lawmakers in the House of Representatives signed in favor of her impeachment. She is seeking to nullify the complaint and has requested a prohibition order to prevent the Senate from proceeding with the trial.

According to Duterte, the fourth impeachment complaint violates the 1987 Constitution’s one-year ban on filing such complaints. She argues that the House had already acted on three previous impeachment complaints by dismissing them without forwarding them to the Speaker’s office.

Poa’s return to Duterte’s legal team marks his renewed involvement in her inner circle after previously serving as her spokesperson in both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the OVP.

He resigned as OVP spokesperson in November 2024 amid congressional scrutiny over the Vice President’s use of confidential funds. Before that, he held the position of spokesperson and undersecretary at DepEd while Duterte was Education Secretary, serving as her trusted crisis communicator throughout her tenure.

Duterte’s petition also includes a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the impeachment trial in the Senate while the Supreme Court deliberates on the case’s constitutionality.

With Poa back on her legal team, Duterte aims to block the impeachment proceedings and challenge what she claims to be a constitutional violation as the legal battle intensifies.