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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Impeachment witnesses or defense lawyers? House justice panel to settle debacle on Poa, Munsayac

Impeachment witnesses or defense lawyers? House justice panel to settle debacle on Poa, Munsayac

Published Mar 15, 2026 01:40 pm

At A Glance

  • The House Committee on Justice intends to address soon the potential hitch in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte that may arise from the tapping of two witnesses into defense lawyers.
The House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


The House Committee on Justice intends to address soon the potential hitch in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte that may arise from the tapping of two witnesses into defense lawyers.
Thus, said Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the justice panel, on March 14 during the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
"The committee will deliberate on what to do with the concern relating to the two lawyers,” Ridon said, referring Duterte defense team members Michael Poa and Reynold Munsayac.
Poa and Munsayac both held key positions in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.
Ridon says there is a need to address the participation of the two lawyers amid the possibility that they could also be called as witnesses in the impeachment proceedings.
“What we don’t want to see would be a situation in which these lawyers will basically just say that they are bound within lawyer-client privilege when the questions being asked to them relate to their actual work during their time in the OVP and the DepEd,” the party-list solon said.
A total of 16 lawyers have entered their appearance as counsel for Duterte in the impeachment case pending before the justice panel.
Under House rules, lawyers representing parties in impeachment proceedings may attend hearings but are limited to observing the proceedings, while deliberations remain the exclusive prerogative of House members.
Ridon said the committee has no objections to most of the lawyers representing Duterte but expressed reservations about Poa and Munsayac because of their previous roles in government.
He noted that Munsayac had also been mentioned in testimony by former DepEd undersecretary Gloria Mercado in connection with alleged attempts to influence procurement processes in the department.
Because of this, Ridon said Munsayac may be called as a witness or resource person during the impeachment proceedings. He also noted that both Poa and Munsayac had previously served as spokespersons for Duterte.
Shortened proceedings?
Meanwhile, Ridon says the justice panel may shorten the ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President if she fails to submit a reply to the impeachment complaints.
The committee, chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, earlier gave Duterte 10 days to answer the allegations contained in the two remaining impeachment raps. This, after the panel found the two complaints sufficient in both form and substance.
“I think she (Duterte) has until this weekend and until Monday to submit her answer to the House Committee on Justice...So aantayin po namin ‘yun at the end of office hours ng Lunes (So we will wait for it until the end of office hours on Monday) and then we will have to decide kung ano po yung next step,” Ridon said.
The Lusitro panel will hold a hearing this Wednesday to discuss preliminary matters related to the impeachment proceedings, while the hearing proper—where the panel will deliberate on the sufficiency of grounds cited in the two remaining impeachment complaints against Duterte—is tentatively scheduled to begin on April 8.
Ridon noted that the proceedings could actually move faster if the Vice President does not submit a response within the deadline.
“In the event po that she does not respond by Monday, the process will be shortened, abbreviated....So ibig sabihin po, I think as early as the final weeks of this month, pwede pong mag-proceed na po to a determination of sufficiency in grounds and then we can proceed to ‘yung hearing proper na po,” he said.
(So that means, I think as early as the final weeks of this month, it may already proceed to a determination of sufficiency in grounds, and then we can move on to the proper hearing.)
If Duterte submits her answer, the complainants and endorsers of the impeachment complaints will be allowed to respond, followed by a rejoinder from the Vice President.
Ridon said the panel would then proceed to the determination of sufficiency in grounds before moving to formal hearings.
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