Vice President Sara Duterte has questioned reports that the House Committee on Justice might reject the entry of two of her lawyers in the impeachment proceedings against her, saying it was the first time she had heard of such a case.
In a chance interview during a book signing of the Office of the Vice President Coffee Table Book in Davao on Saturday, Duterte emphasized that she had never encountered a respondent being barred from choosing their own counsel before.
“Ngayon lang ako nakarinig na circumstance na hindi pinapayagan ang respondent kung sino ang pinipili niyang lawyer. So, hintayin na lang natin kung ano mangyayari,” she said.
(This is the first time I’ve heard of a circumstance where the respondent is not allowed to choose his or her own lawyer. So, let’s just wait and see what happens.)
This statement comes in response after Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon mentioned that the House Committee on Justice might reject Duterte’s lawyers, Michael Poa and Reynold Munsayac, due to concerns about possible conflicts of interest.
Ridon pointed out that their involvement in issues like the use of confidential funds and procurement activities at the Department of Education (DepEd) raises serious questions, especially since they could invoke lawyer-client privilege.
When asked if her camp would respond to the panel’s 10-day notice on her impeachment proceedings, Duterte said “Hintay na lang sila, mga tiga House of Representatives, (They should wait, [the] House of Representatives members.”
In a news forum, Ridon said the initial deadline of her reply fell on a weekend and since Congress has no session during the time, they expect the vice president to comply with the requirement by Monday.
On Friday, the Vice President said the move to seek subpoenas for additional documents related to the impeachment complaints against her suggests that the case lacks sufficient supporting evidence.
This comment followed a call from Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, urging the committee to subpoena certified copies of Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth from 2022 to 2025, 2007 to 2013, and 2016 to 2022.
She also described the impeachment effort as a “fishing expedition” aimed at “protecting certain individuals and advancing personal and foreign interests.”
