Old hands, new names: House prosecution formed for Sara's impeachment trial
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives named 11 lawmakers who will prosecute the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Senate.
The list retained several members of last yaear's prosecution team after Duterte was impeached for the first time, while bringing in new legal and political figures from among the 257 who voted to impeach her this time.
The House prosecution panel is composed of:
- Rep. Gerville Luistro (Batangas)
- Rep. Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro party-list)
- Rep. Rodge Gutierrez (1-Rider party-list)
- Rep. Bel Zamora (San Juan)
- House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor
- Rep. Chel Diokno (Akbayan party-list)
- Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal party-list)
- Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands)
- Rep. Keith Flores (Bukidnon)
- Rep. Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro)
- Rep. Joel Chua (Manila)
The lineup will argue the articles of impeachment before the Senate impeachment court, where senators will sit as judges.
11-man team
Several names carry over from the 2025 impeachment team: Luistro, Gutierrez, Chua, Zamora, Defensor and Flores were among the 11 prosecutors named when the House first impeached Duterte on Feb. 5, 2025.
The newer names on the 2026 team are Ridon, Diokno, De Lima, Bag-ao and Suan.
Ridon had said earlier this month that Luistro had floated a prosecution team that would likely include both former prosecutors and new names because new lawyer-lawmakers had entered the House after the midterm elections in May 2025.
Diokno and De Lima had already been considered as additions in 2025 if the trial carried over into the 20th Congress. Two 2025 prosecutors, Loreto Acharon and Raul Angelo "Jil" Bongalon, did not return to the House after the midterms.
The previous 2025 panel also included then-Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, former 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan and former Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan, who are no longer on the 2026 list.
Senate trial
The House voted overwhelmingly Monday, May 11, to impeach Duterte, setting the stage for a Senate trial that could remove her from office and bar her from seeking public office if she is convicted.
A total of 257 lawmakers backed the complaint, while 25 voted against and nine abstained. Duterte is accused of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth and threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, all of which she denies.
The new trial follows the collapse of the 2025 impeachment case. The upper house, under then-Senate president Chiz Escudero, was accused of delaying the trial prior to congressional break.
The Supreme Court later nullified the proceedings after ruling that the complaint was barred by the one-year rule due process applies at all stages of the impeachment.
The Senate is now expected to convene as an impeachment court under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who replaced Vicente Sotto III shortly before the House vote in a surprise powergrab by a new Duterte-aligned majority.
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