Escudero Suggests Separate Spokespersons for Duterte Impeachment Trial

MANILA, Philippines — Presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday suggested that the prosecution and defense panels in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial consider designating new spokespersons who are not part of their respective legal teams. “You might want to consider, in order to give a fair hand, nominating a spokesperson that is purely a spokesperson, that is not limited by the rules of the impeachment court with respect to what he or she can say,” Escudero said before the court adjourned its proceedings. Escudero reminded both parties of the rule that restricts prosecutors, defense counsels, and witnesses from making certain public comments or disclosures related to the case. “I noticed that Atty. [Benjamin “Jay”] Tolosa, who is a registered counsel for the panel of prosecutors, and Atty. [Michael] Poa, who is a registered counsel for the respondent, are both serving as spokespersons as well,” the presiding officer noted. Escudero said both lawyers have so far been “very careful” with their public statements. However, Escudero warned that “As the trial goes on, it might take its toll with respect to the spokesperson and counsel at the same time being able to distinguish between the merits of the case and purely procedural observations or facts.” He also reminded both camps that the court would be monitoring statements made by their lawyers. In a press briefing after the proceedings, House Lead Prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said the prosecution team would discuss Escudero’s suggestion with Tolosa. “We will bring that up to Atty. Jay Tolosa. Ever since, we are always deciding as a team so we will be consulting each other as to the best action to take for Atty. Tolosa but ultimately, of course, this will be his decision,” the congresswoman said. For his part, defense spokesperson Michael Poa said the defense appreciated Escudero’s advice acknowledging the difficulty of balancing roles as both counsel and spokesperson. However, he said that it is something that he would have to consult the vice president about. Poa said he and Tolosa had a brief exchange and shared in a briefing, “We thought the two of us were going to be reprimanded earlier. Thankfully, we weren’t, and thankfully, the presiding officer saw that we have been trying our best to be very careful in media interviews.”