By Jose Cielito Reganit | Philippine News Agency
The House of Representatives on Tuesday formally elected an 11-member prosecution panel composed of lawmakers, lawyers, and legal experts who will represent the chamber in the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The prosecution team consists of senior House leaders and veteran legal practitioners from both the majority and minority blocs who will present the Articles of Impeachment and supporting evidence before the Senate during the impeachment trial.
Elected to the House prosecution panel were:
- Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua;
- Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima;
- Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Reyes-Luistro;
- Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon;
- Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno;
- San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora;
- Cagayan de Oro City 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan;
- Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores;
- Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor;
- 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez; and
- Dinagat Islands Lone District Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao.
Several members of the prosecution team are prominent legal figures in the country.
De Lima, who currently serves as Senior Deputy Minority Leader, is a former senator, secretary of justice, and chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights who gained international recognition for her defense of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Diokno, currently Deputy Minority Leader, is one of the country’s leading human rights lawyers and formerly chaired the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the Philippines’ oldest human rights lawyers’ group, for more than two decades.
He also served as private prosecutor during the impeachment proceedings against former president Joseph Estrada and later became founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law. He earned his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law.
Luistro currently chairs the House Committee on Justice and was one of the lead investigators in the landmark tax credit scam probe during the Arroyo administration.
A lawyer and former state counsel, Luistro graduated cum laude in both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Batangas and has played a central role in some of the House’s most high-profile investigations in recent years.
Chua, who heads the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, is a lawyer and former four-term Manila city councilor who has led congressional investigations involving confidential funds, corruption, and accountability issues.
Ridon currently serves as chairperson of the House Committee on Accounts. A lawyer, broadcaster, and former Kabataan Party-list representative, he also headed the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor under the previous administration.
Zamora, an Assistant Majority Leader, is a UP-trained lawyer and former partner at Zamora and Poblador Law Offices, specializing in litigation, corporate law, and criminal law.
Zamora currently serves as head of the House contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) and vice chairperson of several major House committees, including Justice and Revision of Laws.
Suan, meanwhile, chairs the House Committee on Public Information and has built his legislative work around social justice, healthcare, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation after previously serving as a city councilor and lawyer in Cagayan de Oro.
Flores, meanwhile, earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Ateneo de Davao University before practicing law and later becoming a partner at the Europa, Dacanay, Cubelo, Europa and Flores Law Office before entering politics.
Defensor currently serves as Senior Deputy Majority Leader and is a lawyer specializing in energy law and utilities regulation before entering politics.
Gutierrez, currently Deputy Majority Leader and Senior Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation, is a lawyer and transportation advocate who has championed legislation focused on road safety and the welfare of Filipino riders and motorists.
Bag-ao, a human rights lawyer and agrarian reform advocate, was a former prosecutor during the Corona impeachment trial. She also served as governor of the Dinagat Islands from 2019 to 2022.
House leaders said the composition of the prosecution team reflected the chamber’s resolve to uphold the Constitution and present the impeachment case “with professionalism, integrity, and overwhelming respect for due process.”
Meanwhile, House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the House of Representatives Secretariat is reproducing copies of the Articles of Impeachment for submission to the Senate.
“The Articles of Impeachment and their attachments, which number in the thousands of pages, are currently being reproduced, collated, and checked to ensure that all copies are appropriately organized to ensure that each copy is a faithful reproduction of what was approved by the House of Representatives,” she said in a statement Tuesday night.
“The accuracy of our submission is our paramount concern,” Garafil said.
