Senate impeachment court presiding officer Sen. Chiz Escudero reprimanded the prosecution for spending valuable hearing time on a dispute over the qualifications of defense lawyer-turned-witness Michael Poa, telling the lawyers to end the “intramurals” and proceed with the direct examination.
The exchange started after prosecution lawyer Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. asked the defense panel to stipulate that Poa is an “experienced and highly competent lawyer.”
Defense counsel Atty. Sheila Sison challenged the relevance of the request and asked whether the prosecution intended to present Poa as an expert witness.
Sison noted that qualifying Poa as an expert could influence the scope of the questions he would face and the way his testimony would be handled during the trial.
Tolosa objected, arguing that the defense should not determine how the prosecution presents or qualifies its witness.
Escudero then stepped in and ruled that the proposed stipulation was immaterial unless the prosecution planned to formally qualify Poa as an expert witness.
“Then in that case the chair will ask counsel to simply proceed with his questions because counsel, I find it irrelevant to be asking for a stipulation if Atty. Poa is good at what he does, I believe he is, but unless you will qualify him as an expert as pointed out by Atty. Sheila, instead of going through these intramurals,” Escudero said.
After Tolosa sought to elaborate on his position, Escudero stood by his ruling and instructed him to continue with the examination.
Escudero said the back-and-forth had already taken up enough hearing time and called on the prosecution to focus on its questioning of Poa.
“We’ve wasted enough time on these intramurals between you and counsel for respondent, just proceed with your direct examination. The witness is there, the witness is smart enough to answer,” he added.
The exchange occurred on the 21st day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with Poa appearing as a prosecution witness. Poa, a former Department of Education official, previously testified about issues involving the agency’s confidential funds.
Escudero’s rebuke came amid concerns from senators over the length and demands of the impeachment proceedings.
Senator Migz Zubiri earlier described the hearings as exhausting for lawmakers, who have been juggling the trial with their regular Senate responsibilities and budget deliberations.
Escudero’s intervention reflected his effort to keep the proceedings centered on witness testimony and evidence instead of extended procedural disputes between the prosecution and defense.
