MANILA, Philippines — The legal defense team representing Vice President Sara Duterte is evaluating whether to request a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to halt the ongoing impeachment proceedings while contesting the Senate’s voting threshold decision.
Speaking at a media briefing following the trial on Wednesday, defense counsel Atty. Michael Poa confirmed that seeking interim relief from the High Tribunal is under consideration, though a firm course of action has not been finalized.
“That’s an option. That’s definitely an option,” Poa said.
Poa explained that the legal team must thoroughly assess the potential benefits and drawbacks before deciding whether to formally petition the court.
“But of course, we’ll have to see the pros and cons muna,” he noted.
He further clarified that the team has yet to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the legal ramifications of such a petition.
“Hindi ko pa tinitingnan in detail kung ano yung pros and cons, ano yung repercussions ng TRO or repercussions of not even getting a TRO,” Poa admitted.
Despite contesting the Senate’s determination, the defense counsel emphasized that they are not seeking to impugn the authority or credibility of the impeachment body.
“We don’t want to cast any aspersions against the impeachment court dahil, syempre, once you question the integrity of the court, parang nangugulo na kasi tayo,” Poa emphasized.
He indicated that the team plans to continue taking part in the trial while preserving its rights to seek external judicial relief.
Poa reminded reporters that the defense explicitly entered its involvement in the proceedings ad cautelam—a legal reservation ensuring that active participation does not constitute a waiver of future legal challenges.
“We already made it clear that our participation should be recorded as ad cautelam,” he recalled.
“Para lang hindi masabi that because we participated, we have waived any of our rights na questionin ang mga naging proceedings,” he added.
Addressing questions regarding whether elevated legal challenges would stall the trial, Poa noted that any delay hinges entirely on the court’s actions regarding a TRO.
“Depends eh, not really,” he remarked. “If we, for example, if we don’t ask for a TRO, that’s not gonna delay the proceedings.”
He added that unless the Supreme Court explicitly issues an order halting the trial, the trial will proceed uninterrupted.
“So, it will really depend. We cannot say right now that that will delay the proceedings at all,” Poa concluded.