The House prosecution panel is set to call former Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Michael Wesley Poa as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with his testimony expected to focus on the disbursement of ₱112.5 million in confidential funds during her tenure as Education secretary.
Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro of Batangas formally sought the issuance of a subpoena for Poa, along with Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official Marizza Grande, whose testimony is expected to address the identities of individuals listed as recipients of confidential funds in liquidation documents.
“In order to maximize the schedule that is given to us by the Honorable Impeachment Court for September 2, that is next Wednesday, Your Honor, we would like to respectfully move for the issuance of subpoena ad testificandum to Attorney Michael Wesley T. Poa, if the same should be necessary, as well as to Ms. Marizza B. Grande of the PSA,” Luistro said.
Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero favorably acted on the prosecution’s request but noted that a subpoena for Poa may no longer be necessary because he was already present at the proceedings and had expressed willingness to testify.
“Given that Atty. Poa is here and more than willing to testify, as intimated earlier, then we jump to Atty. Poa, should the other earlier two witnesses fail to appear on September 1, without need of issuing a subpoena to Atty. Poa,” Escudero said.
Grande, meanwhile, is expected to testify on whether the names of alleged confidential fund recipients appearing in the Office of the Vice President’s liquidation documents are reflected in official government records.
The impeachment court also revised the subpoenas for prosecution witnesses Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtangol Panopio. Boransing requested that his appearance be moved to September 1 to allow him to coordinate with his military superiors before leaving his post as commanding officer of Task Force Zamboanga. Panopio is likewise expected to testify on September 1.
The prosecution also dropped retired Maj. Gen. Bajao from its witness list after the impeachment court encountered difficulty serving him a subpoena because his current address could not be established.
Poa previously testified before a House inquiry in October 2024 that he asked then-DepEd Undersecretary and retired Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin to obtain certifications from military units to support the department’s spending of ₱15 million in confidential funds for informants in 2023.
Boransing and Panopio had previously acknowledged issuing military certifications but maintained that they were unaware the documents would be used to liquidate DepEd confidential funds.
The developments came as the Senate impeachment court continued preparations for the prosecution’s next round of witnesses and evidence concerning the alleged use and liquidation of confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure at DepEd.
