MANILA, Philippines — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte said it respects the decision of law professor Dean Ralph Sarmiento declining their invitation for him to serve as a defense witness in her impeachment trial.
Michael Poa, spokesman for the Vice President’s defense camp, said that they would honor the legal scholar’s decision. This development follows a manifestation filed by the defense on Wednesday requesting the Senate Impeachment Court to issue a subpoena duces tecum and subpoena testificandum to Sarmiento, a respected faculty member of political and constitutional law at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) College of Law and its former vice chancellor for administration.
The defense planned to make Sarmiento as its anchor witness for November 9 to testify on the foundational constitutional principles relevant to Article II of the impeachment complaint, which focuses on allegations of unexplained wealth against Vice President Duterte.
However, Sarmiento declined the invitation, citing a desire to protect his academic freedom. In a statement, he thanked the defense team for recognizing his work but noted that he never anticipated his digital commentary becoming part of an actual impeachment trial.
Sarmiento has a substantial online footprint, commanding over 318,000 followers on Facebook, where he frequently posts balanced analyses, including recent commentary emphasizing the need for procedural fairness after the prosecution dropped three out of four charges against Duterte.
"After careful consideration, I have decided to decline participation as a witness in the proceedings," Sarmiento stated. "This is a personal decision to preserve the independence of my constitutional law scholarship and the impartiality of my legal views and opinions."
Sarmiento added that he has reached out to the defense to request that they withdraw their motion for a subpoena, or move for its immediate recall if the court has already issued it. He maintained that he remains fully committed to fostering public understanding of the Constitution through an independent lens.
Poa extended the defense team's gratitude for Sarmiento's initial consideration.
