Atty. Michael Poa, VP Sara Duterte’s Lawyer, Confirms Submission of Comment before the SC
Vice President Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Michael Poa, confirmed that they have filed a comment on the House of Representative’s Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court.
Ahead of the opening of the 20th Congress, the Supreme Court declared the impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as “unconstitutional”. According to the high court, the complaint did not follow the one-year rule in the Constitution and another impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026.
Four (4) impeachment complaints were filed against the Vice President but the complainants argued that the other complaints were not transmitted. The decision of the high court was immediately executory but a motion for reconsideration may be filed.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court also clarified that its ruling does not dismisses the charges filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Atty. Michael Poa, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer, said they welcome the decision of the high court which once again upheld the rule of law. He clarified that they remain ready to address the allegations against their client.
A week after the 20th Congress opened, the senators discussed the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte after the Supreme Court ruled the complaint as “unconstitutional”. Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Rodante Marcoleta moved for the dismissal of the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
However, Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto moved to table Marcoleta’s motion. The senators proceeded to the voting and Sotto’s motion lost after having only five (5) votes. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman then agreed to change his motion from dismissal to the archiving of the impeachment case.
The Senate voting yielded a 19-4-1 result. Nineteen (19) senators supported Marcoleta’s motion to archive the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte while four (4) senators opposed it.
YES
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald Dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Francis Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Rodante Marcoleta
- Imee Marcos
- Robinhood Padilla
- Erwin Tulfo
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Camille Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
NO
- Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV
- Risa Hontiveros
- Francis Pangilinan
- Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
The House of Representatives filed a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court over its ruling in the impeachment case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Recently, based on a report on GMA News, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer confirmed that they have filed a formal comment on the MR of the House.
However, while Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Michael Poa, confirmed the filing of comment before the Supreme Court over the House of Representatives’ MR, he refused to speak on the matter. Based on the report, he stressed that it is out of respect for the judicial process.
“In deference to the sub judice rule and out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be granting media interviews or issuing further statements at this time,” Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer said.
Previously, Sen. Ping Lacson claimed that he and Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto will pull out the impeachment case against Duterte if the Supreme Court ruling is reversed. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian claimed that it would only take a vote of five senators to pull out the impeachment case from the Senate archives.