House panel to discuss possible rejection of Poa, Munsayac as VP’s defense lawyers

The House Committee on Justice will look into the possible rejection of entry of appearance of two lawyers as counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte in the impeachment proceedings, according to Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon.

At a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Ridon reiterated his earlier stance that there would be a possible conflict of interest over the inclusion of lawyers Michael Poa and Reynold Munsayac as part of Duterte’s defense team in her impeachment case.

The lawmaker, a member of the House justice panel, earlier said that the lawyers’ presence in the Vice President’s defense team “raises serious ethical and procedural questions” with Poa, who was a spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s stint as Education secretary, and Munsayac, who served as spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President and assistant secretary for procurement.

“I think there is a real conflict there that needs to get called out if the two lawyers would be allowed,” the lawmaker told reporters.

Ridon said that Poa and Munsayac, being relevant high-ranking officials concerning the matters being investigated such as the use of confidential funds and DepEd procurement, are a “serious matter” as they could invoke lawyer-client confidentiality.

“They could invoke lawyer-client confidentiality rule if they are allowed to enter appearance so I think we would rather reject their entry of appearance  so we can openly invite them as resource persons and witnesses,” the lawmaker said.

He said the House justice panel will discuss if Poa and Munsayac will be allowed their entry or not in its upcoming meeting on Wednesday, March 18.

“What would happen is there’d be a motion to reject entry of appearance of the two layers that has to be discussed by the committee,” he said.

GMA News Online reached out to Poa and Munsayac for their comment. The story will be updated once they issue a response. —VAL, GMA Integrated News