The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte maintained that the impeachment hearing conducted by the House of Representatives is unconstitutional, explaining their decision not to attend the proceedings.
During a briefing, defense spokesman Michael Poa and counsel Sheila Sison said they do not recognize the authority of the House of Representatives to conduct what they described as a trial related to the impeachment case.
They stressed that, under the Constitution, only the Senate has jurisdiction to conduct an impeachment trial. Because of this position, the defense team said it is considering possible actions to seek remedies regarding the proceedings of the House Justice Committee.
Sison also responded to remarks from Rep. Leila de Lima, who earlier described the vice president’s non-attendance as disrespectful to the process. The lawyer said they do not understand how the decision not to appear could be considered disrespectful.
Poa added that Duterte is not required to attend the impeachment proceedings in the House, noting that such an obligation is not stated in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Poa confirmed that he is prepared to appear before the committee after being issued a subpoena. He said he sees no reason not to attend and intends to comply with the order.
Earlier, the House committee approved a motion to issue a subpoena against Poa, who served as chief of staff of the Department of Education from 2022 to 2023.
