Sara Duterte skipping impeachment hearing, lawyer says
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte will not appear at the impeachment hearings before the House of Representatives’ committee on justice, according to her lawyer and defense panel spokesperson, Michael Poa, on Tuesday.
In an ambush interview at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Poa said he is attending the hearing as it is a mandatory process, having received a subpoena from the committee.
When asked if Duterte will attend, Poa said the defense called the committee to inform that the vice president will skip the hearing.
READ: LIVE: VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment hearing on April 14
“We just follow the process, these are compulsory process so nandito ako ngayon,” Poa said.
“I don’t think so, I think they already, the defense already called yesterday to inform that we will not be attending […] I don’t know what to expect so we’ll just wait and see,” he added.
READ: Duterte camp files 3rd appeal vs House impeach raps
Poa, former spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) when Duterte was still Education secretary, was asked to attend the hearing on Tuesday amid questions in line with confidential fund (CF) disbursements and his coordination with the Commission on Audit (COA).
Several allegations have been raised against Vice President Sara Duterte ever since different House committees checked the alleged anomalous confidential fund (CF) expenditures within her offices.
READ: Baste Duterte takes helm as PDP-Laban president
There were also a lot of hearings regarding these issues, but on Tuesday, April 14, the country for the first time will see evidence against Duterte examined, as the committee on justice expects several documents and witnesses to appear after they issued different subpoenas.
Aside from Poa, the panel last March 25 approved motions to issue subpoenas for the following documents and individuals considered vital to the impeachment hearing:
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag and NBI’s records of its investigation on Duterte’s assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez
- Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and Duterte’s State of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2022 to 2025, 2017 to 2013, and 2016 to 2022
- Ramil Madriaga, Duterte’s former aide, and his sworn affidavit against the Vice President
- COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba, and COA Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) team leader Atty. Gloria Camora and official COA audit records; other submissions by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to COA from 4th quarter of 2022 to 3rd quarter of 2023
- Atty. Cynthia Viñas-Pantonal, notary public who notarized Madriaga’s testimony custodian of the archives division of the House of Representatives to provide transcript and video recording of past hearings
- Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza and Duterte’s tax compliance and income statements, along with her and her spouse’s certified true copies of income tax returns
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson Francis Edralin Lim and general information sheets and audited financial statements of several firms linked to Duterte and her family to verify ownership and financial activity
Aside from the April 14 hearing, two more hearing dates have been identified — April 22 and 29. Luistro previously said that if the committee needs more dates to examine the evidence, they will set additional hearings.
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