Sara Duterte's defense team recalls subpoena request for Dean Sarmiento

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The defense panel has formally withdrawn its request to subpoena law professor Dean Ralph Sarmiento, who was supposed to testify in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol said Friday.

This came after Sarmiento publicly declined to testify as a witness for the defense, saying he wanted to preserve the independence of his constitutional law scholarship and the impartiality of his legal views and opinions.

“Nakatanggap ang impeachment court last night ng manifestation mula sa respondent's counsel na sinasabing hindi na po nila ipu-pursue 'yung pag-request ng subpoena kay Dean Sarmiento at dahil nirerespeto po nila 'yung desisyon sa kanyang pagtanggi,” Tongol said in an interview on Balitanghali.

(The impeachment court received last night a manifestation from the respondent's counsel stating that they will no longer pursue the subpoena request for Dean Sarmiento and that they respect his decision to decline.)

Sarmiento was supposed to be the first witness that the defense sought to present during the resumption of the trial on Monday, November 9.

Tongol said that Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. is expected to give an update within the day regarding the issuance of the subpoena for the other intended witnesses by Duterte’s team.

Given that Sarmiento will no longer be presented as a witness, the defense is expected to push through with Atty. Suzette Balucanag-Punay, the corporate counsel of Gencorp Industries, Inc. and Metro City Chow Foods Corporation---two of the entities linked to the Vice President.

Balucanag-Punay is set to testify on relevant corporate and business matters linked to Duterte and produce certified true copies and/or original copies of the General Information Sheets, Audited Financial Statements, and all other related corporate records from 2022 to 2025.

Aside from her, other intended witnesses were also listed by the defense to testify during the trial days from November 9 to 13. —AOL, GMA News