Poa: Resignation ‘never on the table’ for Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte has no plans to resign despite her ongoing impeachment trial, according to defense counsel Michael Poa.

In an interview on Dos Por Dos, Poa said Duterte remained firm on staying in office and that resignation had never been part of their discussions.

“Very firm po ang ating bise-presidente, hindi pa man nagsisimula wala talaga siyang balak magresign,” Poa said.

He said Duterte also considers the mandate given to her by voters in the 2022 elections.

“Papaano naman yung mga taong bumoto sa kanya naniwala sa kanya noong nakaraang eleksyon? That is why, para kay VP Sara, hindi namin pinag-uusapan ang resignation. It was never on the table for her,” he added.

Poa also said the defense is considering bringing the Senate impeachment court’s ruling on the conviction threshold before the Supreme Court.

The Senate on Wednesday overturned its earlier ruling requiring a fixed 16 votes to convict and adopted a formula based on senators legally and factually capable of participating when judgment is rendered.

“Kailangan namin kausapin ang aming kliyente, ang ating bise-presidente, kung nais [niyang] umakyat sa Supreme Court. Kung tinatawag [nating] justiciable na ang isyu, s’yempre mayroon kaming sariling pananaw d’yan,” Poa said.

He said seeking relief from the high court remains a possibility, but the defense has yet to decide when or whether to pursue it.

“Definitely, hindi naman tayo magsisinungaling [at magsasabing] hindi tayo aakyat [sa Supreme Court] dahil isang posibilidad talaga ’yan. Titignan lang natin kung kailan ba dapat tayo aakyat,” he added.

Poa separately said the defense would first discuss any Supreme Court action with Duterte.