Poa open to taking witness stand as Sara trial nears

Sara Duterte's defense spokesperson Michael Poa on Thursday said he is prepared to testify in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte if House prosecutors decide to call him as a witness, as both sides move closer to completing pre-trial proceedings ahead of the 6 July trial.

Poa, a former Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary and a member of Duterte's legal team, said he saw no issue with being included in the prosecution's witness list.

“I think the prosecution enlisted me and I don't have any problem with that. Of course, lalo na kung tatanungin nila ako ng matters that are not related to my role as counsel to the Vice President, wala naman sigurong problema,” Poa told reporters.

House prosecutors earlier identified Poa among their prospective witnesses, saying he could testify on the DepEd's responses to Commission on Audit findings and on his submission of supporting documents related to confidential fund expenditures despite allegedly having no personal knowledge of the transactions.

Poa, however, said it was entirely within the prosecutors' discretion whom to present before the impeachment court.

“Wala naman po. Sa amin naman, prerogative ng prosecution kung sino ang witnesses nila,” he said when asked about the inclusion of controversial confidential fund recipient Mary Grace Piattos among the witnesses.

“So definitely if they're presented, we will be ready to cross-examine them.”

Piattos, Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, and several current and former government officials are among the 57 witnesses listed by the prosecution to support the impeachment complaint against Duterte.

Poa said the defense would file on Friday its formal response to the prosecution's manifestation regarding witnesses and documentary evidence.

He also expressed confidence that the ongoing pre-trial conference would conclude on schedule, with both camps making significant progress in the marking and processing of evidence.

Meanwhile, Poa declined to say whether Duterte herself would take the witness stand, saying any decision would depend on the defense's legal strategy.

“Kung kinakailangan, hindi ko pa masabi ang exact circumstance. It will be part of the legal strategy,” he said.