MANILA, Philippines — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday that, as far as it knows, the Senate has yet to approve the Office of the Vice President's request to shoulder the catering expenses of its lawyers, support staff and witnesses during the impeachment trial.
Speaking at a press briefing after the ninth day of the trial, defense spokesperson Michael Wesley Poa said he could confirm that no such request had been approved but declined to discuss further details because the letter originated from the Office of the Vice President.
"I can confirm that, as far as I know, no request like that has been approved. But I cannot dwell on the details because that was an OVP letter and the defense team had no participation in it. It's best directed to the Vice President because we were not part of those discussions," Poa said.
Asked why the request was made, Poa said it was "perhaps" intended for the defense team's security and well-being but stressed he was not involved in the discussions. He added that he understood the matter had been discussed during an administrative meeting between OVP officials and Senate personnel, referring further questions to either the OVP or the Senate Secretariat.
In a July 7 letter addressed to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Duterte requested that food and beverages for the defense team, support staff and witnesses be prepared exclusively by the OVP's accredited caterer and served only inside the defense team's designated holding room.
The Vice President also asked the Senate to shoulder the "reasonable costs" of the catering services, citing security concerns and the need to ensure the orderly conduct of the impeachment proceedings.
