Jamaine Punzalan

Atty. Michael Poa at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, July 15, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit

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VP Sara Impeachment

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178477914352520260715-senate-impeachment-day6-SSMU-WA-4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Atty. Michael Poa at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, July 15, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Why did Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team oppose prosecutors’ request for her bank and tax records, instead of just volunteering to open her financial records to counter allegations of amassing unexplained wealth in her impeachment trial?</p><p>Defense panel spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa on Thursday said that while he understood this sentiment, it was important to uphold the presumption of innocence.</p><p>“Natural na ganoon yung nagiging sentimyento, pero at the risk of sounding too technical, ang punto naman namin kasi is ano ba ang legal principle sa sistema natin? It’s presumption of innocence,” Poa told ANC’s “Headstart”. “So kung sinong nag-aakusa, sinong may alegasyon, siya dapat ang magpakita ng ebidensya.” </p><p>“Ang punto lang namin is kung mayroon talaga kayong mga ebidensya to support your allegations, kayo yung maglabas. Hindi naman puwedeng sabihin natin na lang na, ‘Ay, sa tingin ko may ginawa kang pagkakamali, ikaw na maglabas ng mga ebidensya kasi kung wala ka namang tinatago, hindi mo ‘yan pipigilan,’” he added.</p><p>“Second, kung ganoon na lang din, ‘wag na tayong mag-search warrant, ‘wag na rin tayong mag-all of these compulsory processes kasi parading ang Hamon naman pala is dapat ang defense ang nagbibigay ng ebidensya,” Poa said. </p><p>Acknowledging that this “may not be a popular thing to say”, Poa maintained, “That is the legal system. And as lawyers, we have to protect our client with whatever protections are afforded by law.” </p><p>During last week’s oral arguments, Poa described the prosecution&#x27;s requests for Duterte’s financial records as &quot;fatally overbroad.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/15/defense-says-subpoena-for-duterte-bank-tax-records-a-weapon-of-fishing-expedition-1531">Defense says subpoena for Duterte bank, tax records a &#x27;weapon of fishing expedition&#x27; </a></div><p>He argued that impeachable offenses can only be committed while an official holds an impeachable office. However, he noted that &quot;the prosecution is requesting for documents spanning almost two decades,&quot; including periods when Duterte held government posts that were not impeachable offices.</p><p>House prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno, meanwhile, argued that there was precedent for their request, as seen when the impeachment court allowed the opening of Renato Corona’s financial records obtained prior to his appointment as chief justice. </p><p>“That was actually a good point on his part, let’s be fair,” Poa said of Diokno’s argument. </p><p>“But on my part, I did not think it was a lost cause. Why? Because although, yes, mayroon tayong precedent in terms of the Corona impeachment, from the time Corona impeachment occurred to what is happening… there were supervening things in the interim,” he said.  </p><p>Poa said these supervening factors included the addition of Section 8-A to the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) which mandated strict confidentiality of AMLC data, as well as the Supreme Court decision that framed and defined what impeachable offenses are. </p><p>The Senate court, however, eventually approved subpoenas for Duterte and her husband&#x27;s bank and tax records and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents linked to the couple. </p><p>“To be honest, I thought we had a fair chance. But it is what it is, and sa akin respetuhin natin,” Poa said.  </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/20/impeachment-court-subpoena-for-duterte-s-documents-not-a-setback-defense-2018">Impeachment court subpoena for Duterte&#x27;s documents not a setback — defense</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘FINE-TUNING’ </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In the interview, Poa was also asked about observations that the defense appeared to be shifting to a calmer demeanor as seen in his oral arguments with Diokno. </p><p>“To be very candid about it, different styles lang talaga kami ng mga abogado. There are styles na medyo mas aggressive, may styles na mas kalmado,” Poa said. </p><p>“Siguro nagkaton lang — and it’s really a privilege for me as well — na makatapat si Rep. Diokno,” he said. </p><p>Poa said the defense felt that it met its initial targets. </p><p>“As to how the public received it, we also can’t deny that when we read things online, no matter how much we try block out the noise, I think it’s important for us to also learn from comments because most are even constructive,” Poa said. </p><p>“Will there be adjustments? Not major adjustments, but we do listen to what the public says. And siyempre, there will be fine-tuning here and there,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Impeachment Trial of Sara Duterte </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/23/prosecution-sara-duterte-padilla-one-sided-luistro-0822">Prosecution: Be shocked if we defend VP </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/sara-duterte-is-preferred-presidential-bet-in-may-2028-polls-pulse-asia-1629">Sara Duterte is preferred presidential bet in 2028 polls: Pulse Asia </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kdi_cX8zhEI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Why did Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team oppose prosecutors’ request for her bank and tax records, instead of just volunteering to open her financial records to counter allegations of amassing unexplained wealth in her impeachment trial?</p>

Why did Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team oppose prosecutors’ request for her bank and tax records, instead of just volunteering to open her financial records to counter allegations of amassing unexplained wealth in her impeachment trial?

Why not just voluntarily open Duterte bank records? Defense responds

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Why not just voluntarily open Duterte bank records? Defense responds

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 23, 2026 11:58 AM PHT

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Updated July 23, 2026 11:59 AM PHT

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Sara Duterte

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