Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon is up in arms over Vice President Sara Duterte's decision to tap two potential impeachment case witnesses as lawyers for her legal team.

In particular, Ridon is flagging on the basis of proprietary the inclusion of Michael Poa and Reynold Munsayac in Duterte’s defense panel, since both are believed to have direct involvement in issues surrounding the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

“The presence of potential witnesses in the Vice President’s legal team raises serious ethical and procedural questions. If these lawyers possess firsthand knowledge of the transactions or decisions under scrutiny, they may eventually have to testify under oath,” Ridon, himself a lawyer, said in a statement Wednesday, March. 11.

Acccording to Ridon, Poa served as spokesperson of the DepEd when Duterte was secretary of the agency.

During that time, DepEd received hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds, which later became the subject of congressional scrutiny in the previous 19th Congress, specifically on how the funds were disbursed and liquidated.

The alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds under OVP and DepEd has partly led to the filing of impeachment complaints against against the Vice President in 2025 and this year.

“As DepEd spokesperson at the time, Mr. Poa was the official who repeatedly explained and defended the use of confidential funds before the public and the media. That position places him close to the policy decisions and internal processes governing the use of those funds. It also means he may possess material information relevant to the impeachment complaints," Ridon noted.

The party-list lawmaker said Poa may be called upon during the impeachment process to clarify how DepEd implemented the confidential fund program, who authorized expenditures, and what internal documentation supported the liquidation of the funds.

Ridon aired similar apprehension about the choice of Munsayac, another member of Duterte’s legal team, who may also possess knowledge relevant to the investigation into the confidential funds and DepEd procurement.

Munsayac had served as spokesperson of the Vice President and DepEd assistant secretary for procurement.

“If there were questions regarding the preparation of documents, compliance with auditing rules, or the legal justification for certain transactions, individuals involved in those processes could be asked to testify," Ridon said.

He says that in legal proceedings, lawyers who may become material witnesses are often required to withdraw from representing a client in order to avoid conflicts between advocacy and testimony.

“A lawyer cannot simultaneously act as an advocate and a witness in the same case without raising serious ethical concerns.

“If the impeachment proceedings determine that Mr. Poa or Mr. Munsayac has material knowledge relevant to the charges, the proper course would be for them to testify as witnesses rather than serve as counsel,” Ridon explained.

The Bicol Saro solon further said: "The goal of the impeachment process is to uncover the truth. Anyone with relevant information may eventually be called to help establish that truth.”

The House of Representatives, through the Committee on Justice, is awaiting Duterte’s reply to the various allegations listed on two impeachment complaints--the Joel Saballa et al complaint and the Nathaniel Cabrera complaint.

These two raps were earlier declared sufficient in both form and in substance by the justice panel.