Sara willing to take witness stand, but defense undecided — Poa

Vice President Sara Duterte is willing to testify in her impeachment trial, but her defense team has yet to decide whether to put her on the witness stand as it prepares to counter allegations of unexplained wealth, defense spokesperson Michael Poa said Thursday.

Poa said the defense would first determine whether other witnesses could sufficiently explain the financial records and allegations against Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, before advising them to testify.

“If there’s a trigger point, meaning aspects of the case that we feel may only be explained by the vice president herself or Attorney Mance Carpio himself, we will have to advise them,” Poa said in a television interview.

“But at the end of the day, it will be their decision if they want to take the stand or not,” he added.

The question of whether Duterte will testify comes after prosecutors withdrew three of the four articles of impeachment against her on Tuesday, dropping allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, bribery and grave threats.

The prosecution’s remaining impeachment charge centers on allegations that Duterte failed to fully disclose her assets and accumulated unexplained wealth, arguing that its evidence was sufficient to warrant Duterte’s removal from office.

Financial forensic analyst Alexander Cabrera testified for the prosecution that Duterte and Carpio had P817.87 million in alleged undeclared assets and income from 2022 to 2025.

Poa said the defense would have to explain the financial figures presented by the prosecution, including information drawn from banks and forensic analysis.

The defense lawyer added that the defense intended to answer the allegations regardless of the trial’s timeline, saying the important consideration was whether it could adequately explain the evidence.

The defense is scheduled to begin presenting its evidence on 9 November. Poa said the team would not commit to a completion date because it needed to reassess its strategy and determine which witnesses to retain, add or drop following the withdrawal of the three articles.

“It's not about delaying or prolonging the proceedings or shortening the proceedings. It's just that because of what has happened also, we also have to re-strategize certain things,” Poa said.