Vice President Sara Duterte was not involved in the petition filed before the Supreme Court questioning Senate President Chiz Escudero’s role as presiding officer in her impeachment trial, according to her defense team.
Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said Duterte had no participation in the filing of the petition and that they never discussed the matter.
Poa said he only learned on the morning of the filing that Atty. Israelito Torreon had submitted the petition before the Supreme Court. He added that he and the vice president had no prior conversation regarding the legal move.
Torreon, together with eight other lawyers, asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the impeachment trial. They argued that only the Senate President may preside over the proceedings.
Despite the petition, Poa said the first two days of the impeachment trial proceeded smoothly. He also said he had no complaints about Escudero’s performance as presiding officer during the proceedings.
Following the hearing, Poa said he spoke with Vice President Duterte about the developments in the trial.
According to Poa, the vice president did not express any negative reaction to how the proceedings unfolded.
Instead, he said Duterte thanked members of her defense team for their work during the opening days of the impeachment trial.
The petition filed before the Supreme Court seeks judicial intervention on issues involving the conduct of the impeachment proceedings, while the Senate continues to hear the case.
Poa maintained that the vice president was not involved in the preparation or filing of the petition questioning Escudero’s role, emphasizing that the legal action was initiated independently by Torreon and the other lawyers who signed the petition.
No other statements from the vice president regarding the petition were disclosed.
