The House Committee on Justice has subpoenaed Vice President Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Michael Poa, to testify in her impeachment hearings, aiming to shed light on the use of confidential Department of Education (DepEd) funds.
The Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro-chaired committee ordered the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum to Poa during the first day of the “hearings proper” stage on Wednesday, March 25.
Poa previously served as DepEd chief of staff and undersecretary during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.
Lawmakers believe his testimony could provide direct information on how confidential funds at the DepEd were used during the period covered by the impeachment complaints.
However, apprehensions remain that Poa—being part of Duterte’s legal team—may invoke lawyer-client privilege and decline to answer questions from the committee.
The motion to summon Poa to the impeachment hearings came from Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, who argued that the former was not a peripheral figure in the paper trail but a possible witness to Duterte’s actions and decisions.
“I move that the subpoena be issued to Attorney Michael Wesley Poa in his capacity as the former Chief of Staff of the Vice President and DepEd Secretary from 2022 to 2023. In such capacity, he has very material and relevant information on how the confidential funds in the DepEd were used,” Tinio said.
“In particular, he had a direct role in the preparation of the accomplishment reports relating to the use of the DepEd confidential funds. These accomplishment reports have been the subject of the request for subpoena that this committee has approved,” the Makabayan solon added of Poa.
Tinio said that in the Saballa et al complaint against Duterte, “There is a section extensively discussing the role that then-Usec. Poa played in preparing the accomplishment reports pertaining to the use of the confidential funds”.
“The complaint cites the transcripts of the hearings of the Committee on Good Governance on this matter, where Usec Poa admits that he was ordered by the Vice President to submit these accomplishment reports. And also cited in the complaint that the several Army units denied what was claimed in these accomplishment reports,” Tinio noted.
Duterte is being accused of misusing P612.5 million worth of confidential funds.
Tinio reckoned that Poa could also shed light on the bribery charges against the second highest official of the land.
“Well, starting from paragraph 269 of the third complaint, page 90, there is a reference to a former DepEd spokesperson. He was a spokesperson as well as Chief of Staff, Michael Poa, testifying that he received envelopes directly from Vice President Sara herself. So this has to do with the allegation on bribery,” he said.
The Luistro panel will carry out its next hearing on April 14. (Ellson Quismorio)
