PASAY CITY—Atty. Michael Poa offered a public apology to former Vice President Jejomar Binay on August 4 after raising the issue of 2014 confidential funds on the twelfth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The former Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesperson clarified that he had no intention of attacking the former official when he brought up the past budget allocations. 

“I have to apologize if I offended anyone from VP Binay’s camp. I didn’t want to drag his name into this,” Atty. Poa stated directly in a press conference after the court proceedings.

Poa explained that his statement was meant to show that confidential funds are not exclusive to current Vice President Sara Duterte's term. 

He stressed that he initially tried to avoid naming Binay directly while presenting the OVP's historical spending background. 

“In fact, if you notice, kanina pinipilit kong hindi sabihin talaga kung sino ‘yung vice president. Sinabi ko lang na may pondo sa OVP noong 2014,” he added to clarify his intent.

The court heightened scrutiny over the handling and history of confidential and intelligence funds across government offices. 

Poa reiterated that his reference to the 2014 budget was purely factual context rather than a deliberate effort to implicate the former leader. 

Binay’s camp has yet to issue a formal response regarding the trial statement or the apology.

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