Defense spokesperson and lawyer Michael Poa raises a question during the Senate impeachment court hearing on Oct. 9, 2026, as financial forensic analyst Alexander Cabrera presents a report on the financial, property, and corporate records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio. (Courtesy: Wendell Alinea, Joseph Vidal | Senate Social Media Unit)
The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said the prosecution’s financial expert witness may offer professional opinions but cannot make legal or factual conclusions.
At a press briefing following the 38th day of the impeachment trial, Duterte’s defense spokesperson, lawyer Michael Poa, said the Senate impeachment court would determine the weight of the witness’s testimony.
“The only difference between an expert witness and an ordinary witness is that expert witnesses can actually render their opinions. But as to the weight of that opinion, that is up to the court,” Poa said.
He said the witness’s statements were based on his professional experience as a certified public accountant and lawyer, adding that qualifying him as an expert allowed him to offer opinions but did not make those opinions equivalent to conclusions.
Poa clarified that the defense had not filed a motion to strike any of the witness’s statements from the record. He said the defense would present its side once the prosecution concluded its case.
“There was no motion from the defense to strike any statement made by the witness. And how do we remedy that? It is by presenting our own side of the story, which will come very soon after the prosecution presents its case,” he said.
Poa added that the defense would present its own forensic expert when it begins presenting its witnesses.
Earlier, defense lead counsel Atty. Sheila Sison formally objected to the testimony of forensic financial analyst and lawyer Alexander Cabrera, arguing that he had overstepped his role by making what she described as unauthorized factual conclusions.
Sison said Cabrera had offered “unbridled and erroneous conclusions of law and fact” during his testimony.
House prosecutor Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno moved to strike Sison’s statement from the record, saying it was “totally out of order.”
Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero ruled that the statement would remain on the record.