Sara camp stands by witness strategy amid credibility questions
The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte will not change its witness presentation strategy despite questions from senator-judges about the credibility and possible conflicts of interest of its witnesses, defense spokesperson Michael Poa said Tuesday.
Poa said the team does not conduct preliminary interviews with witnesses to avoid accusations of coaching or influencing their testimonies.
“We don't want to be accused of coaching witnesses or tampering with any of their testimonies or documents. So we will remain as ethical as we have always been,” he told reporters.
Poa admitted the defense was unaware that one of its witnesses, a city accountant, had ties to an accounting firm reviewing companies linked to Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio.
He said the team contacted witnesses only to establish the scope of their expected testimony, not to prepare them for questioning.
Poa said questions about witnesses' credibility and possible bias were part of cross-examination and should be weighed by the senator-judges alongside the documents and facts presented.
“The focus should be, of course, on the documents and on the meat of the testimony vis-a-vis what they are being presented for,” he said.
He added that he saw no need to change the defense's approach, saying the team would leave it to the court to determine whether credibility issues affected the evidence.
Poa also defended the defense's move to raise possible violations of the sub judice rule, saying public discussions of witnesses' credibility and the weight of their testimonies could influence the senator-judges.
He said, however, that the prosecution should also be given the opportunity to explain its side.
On the defense's decision to withdraw a Matina Crossing barangay official from its witness lineup, Poa said her testimony would have repeated evidence already presented on the claim that Barangay 74-A and Matina Crossing referred to essentially the same area.
The defense plans to present corporate lawyer Suzette Balucanag-Punay and bank representatives in the next hearings.