Metro Manila, Philippines – Seasoned litigation lawyer Lorna Kapunan and nine others from top law firms will serve as private prosecutors in the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the head of the House prosecution panel announced on Thursday, June 11.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Jinky Luistro introduced the 10 private prosecutors, whom she said comprised the first batch of lawyers assisting the lawmaker-prosecutors in the case.
The private prosecutors come from three different law groups. They are:
Kapunan and Castillo Law
- Lorna Kapunan
- Lino Kapunan
- Sonya Castillo
- Deanna Lorenzo-Singian
- Bettina Zamora
PECABAR Law, formerly Ponce-Enrile-Reyes and Manalastas
- Marforth Fua
- James Bryan Ibrahim Alih
- Erwin Matib
- Justine Lamarca
SaLiGal Law
- Amando Ligutan
Luistro said the lawyers accepted the case pro bono, which means free services.
She noted that their addition to the team was a boost, given that the majority of the House prosecutors paused legal practice when they entered public service.
“Indeed, talagang na-boost ang confidence ng 11 prosecutors because of this support,” the lead prosecutor said.
“Definitely kailangan po namin ang tulong ng mga private prosecutors because they are the people specialized in litigation,” she added.
[Translation: Indeed, the confidence of 11 prosecutors had grown because of this support…Definitely, we need help from the private prosecutors because they are the people specialized in litigation.]
The private lawyers were named a week before the scheduled pre-trial conference on June 18.
Role of private prosecutors
Luistro said private prosecutors will play a crucial role in the case – from legal research, organizing documents, to preparations of witnesses and pleadings to the Impeachment Court.
She added that private prosecutors are still under the direct supervision and control of the House prosecution team.
Meanwhile, on cross-examining Duterte, Kapunan said it is up to the House lawyers if they will let private prosecutors take over during trial.
“I think the public prosecutors are, in our view, all competent to cross-examine the vice president if and when she appears,” said Kapunan.
Luistro said more private prosecutors are expected to join the team.
‘Payback time’
In their first press briefing, the private prosecutors said they joined the case in pursuit of accountability.
“I think in my 48 years as a lawyer, this probably is what we call payback time. And this is where I think very serious legal issues are concerned because they constitute articles of impeachment against a very high official. And that is why I’ve committed my time and my law firm’s time to assisting the public prosecutors here in their very worthwhile cause,” said Kapunan, who handled high-profile cases.
Ligutan, who is counsel for the group of impeachment complainants, said the law must be equally applied regardless of their status in life.
“Having a famous family name should not give you a free pass. You should be held accountable as with any other Filipino out there,” he said.
Fua said he joined the case for a “common cause,” noting he was once an adversary of House prosecutor and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno in court.
He also acknowledged his group’s history with the Marcoses, as he himself was former assistant presidential legal counsel to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“It is the House who enlisted our support, not the President or not anyone of the First Family…this is just any other regular case handled by the firm. It’s nothing special. So it is just a purely professional engagement,” Fua said.
Luistro affirmed this statement, saying the private lawyers were the House prosecution panel’s choice and that her group is not receiving instructions from anyone.
