The House prosecution panel will next present defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Atty. Poa served as undersecretary, spokesperson, and chief of staff of the Department of Education (DepEd) when Vice President Duterte was a Secretary of the agency.

House Deputy Speaker and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega believes that Atty. Poa is a central figure of the impeachment trial.

“Hostile witness man si Atty. Poa o hindi, I believe he’s a central, one of the central figures po sa impeachment na ‘to at dito po sa article na ‘to,” he said

[“Whether Atty. Poa is a hostile witness or not, I believe he’s a central, one of the central figures here in the impeachment and in this article.”]

“In the case of Atty. Michael Poa, siya po ang bibig. Siya ang bunganga. Siya ang mouth ng Bise Presidente, and you cannot speak, you cannot defend, and you cannot honor your words kung wala kang alam,” he noted

[“In the case of Atty. Michael Poa, he was the voice. He was the mouth of the Vice President, and you cannot speak, you cannot defend, and you cannot honor your words if you know nothing.”]

Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante shared the same view, stating that the Vice President trusts Atty. Poa.

“Siya ang pinagkakatiwalaan ng Pangalawang Pangulo, so therefore, sa mata ng taong-bayan, alam po niya ang nangyayari. Hindi pwedeng hindi,” he said

[“He is trusted by the Vice President, so therefore, in the eyes of the pubic, he knows what is happening. It is impossible that he doesn’t.”]

Atty. Poa previously appeared during the investigation of the House Good Government and Public Accountability and said that he did not know how the fund was spent.

In his recent statement, the defense spokesperson said that he is ready to face and testify before the Senate impeachment court.

“No reservations. I welcome the opportunity to testify on the extent of my participation in the subject matter, and perhaps even shed some light on what really transpired during those CGGPA hearings conducted by the House of Representatives,” he said

With reports from Rosalie Coz