The legal team representing Vice President Sara Duterte expressed serious concerns over the use of “suggestive terms” in her ongoing impeachment trial, warning that unverified statements in court can swiftly spread online and shape public perception before a final verdict is reached.
Speaking at a press conference on August 25, defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa pointed out that the pervasive presence of social media distinguishes the current proceedings from past impeachment cases.
“Kung iko-compare natin sa nakaraan impeachment trials, hindi pa ganoon ginagamit yung social media noong mga panahon noon as compared to now — everything that happens is on social media,” Poa stated.
Poa noted that certain words or phrases continue to circulate among the public even after being formally retracted or struck from the official court record.
“So sabi nga nila, if certain words are uttered, even if it’s withdrawn or stricken off the record, it takes a life of its own,” he explained.
He clarified that the defense aims to prevent court remarks that could trigger premature conclusions, both among trial participants and the public closely following the case.
While acknowledging that lawyers on both sides occasionally employ tactical questioning, including asking and later withdrawing questions, Poa framed it as a routine aspect of litigation.
“Sometimes, may mga strategy kaming mga abogado. Kahit sa defense naman, meron din kaming mga tinatanong at wini-withdraw,” he said, adding, “I think it’s part of lawyering, in a way.”
However, he emphasized that Duterte’s defense team is taking extra precautions to protect the Vice President from public pre-judgment and narrative shaping.
“But in this case, we just wanted to be careful because we also want to protect the rights of our client as to pre-judgment or mind conditioning. Yun yung mga gusto nating iwasan,” he stressed.
Poa assured that the defense team itself is fully committed to avoiding strategies that could contribute to such public prejudgment.
“Kahit tayo sa defense, we commit na iiwasan natin na gumawa ng ganyang klaseng mga bagay,” he concluded.