MANILA, Philippines — The legal defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte has formally acknowledged and respected the decision of law professor and constitutional law scholar Dean Ralph Sarmiento to decline its invitation to testify in the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
Atty. Michael Poa, a spokesperson and member of the defense panel, stated that the team values the legal scholar’s initial consideration and wished him continued success in his academic pursuits.
“We respect Dean Sarmiento’s personal decision and appreciate his initial consideration of our invitation. We wish him well in his continued contributions to constitutional discourse,” Poa said.
Sarmiento, a professor of Political and Constitutional Law and former vice chancellor for administration at the University of St. La Salle College of Law, earlier announced that he would not participate as a witness.
He noted that his choice was driven by a commitment to safeguarding his academic independence and the objective standing of his legal perspectives.
“I have decided to decline participation as a witness in the proceedings. This is a personal decision to preserve the independence of my constitutional law scholarship and the impartiality of my legal views and opinions,” Sarmiento expressed in a public video statement.
The legal expert also requested that the defense panel withdraw its pending subpoena request before the Senate impeachment court, or seek its recall if it had already been processed.
Duterte’s defense camp had previously listed Sarmiento as its premier witness to address questions surrounding unexplained wealth allegations. Following the subpoena request filed before the Senate tribunal, he was initially anticipated to take the stand when trial proceedings resume.
Despite the setback, Sarmiento thanked the defense team for valuing his constitutional insights, though he admitted he had not foreseen his public commentary eventually drawing him into formal political trial proceedings.