Limang bagong private prosecutors ang sasama sa House prosecution panel sa Senate impeachment trial ni Vice President Sara Duterte, habang idinadagdag din si dating Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers bilang bagong spokesperson at impeachment adviser ng prosecution.
Sa isang press conference ngayong Lunes, June 29, inihayag ni Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima na papasok sa private prosecution panel sina Atty. Theodore O. Te, Atty. Reynaldo B. Robles, Atty. Arnold H. Labay, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Atty. Mae S. Divinagracia, at Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr.
“It is our privilege to formally introduce the newest members of the private prosecution panel, as well as the panel’s additional spokesperson and impeachment adviser,” sabi ni de Lima sa press conference.
“This impeachment trial is not an ordinary legal engagement; it is a constitutional proceeding where preparation, discipline and fidelity to the evidence matter deeply,” sabi pa niya.
“We welcome these seasoned lawyers because their experience will help the prosecution present its case clearly, responsibly and with the seriousness that the Filipino people deserve,” dagdag ni De Lima.
Nauna nang pinangalanan ng prosecution panel sa private prosecution team sina Atty. Lorna Kapunan, Atty. Marforth Fua, Atty. James Alih, Atty. Erwin Matib, Atty. Justine Lamarca, Atty. Sonya Benemerito-Castillo, Atty. Deanna Lorenzo-Singian, Atty. Bettina Zamora, at Atty. Amando Ligutan Saligal.
Pangungunahan sa bagong dagdag si Te, dating chief public information officer ng Supreme Court mula 2013 hanggang 2018. Dala niya ang karanasan sa courtroom, human rights, legal education, at public communication.
Si Te ang interim chairperson ng Free Legal Assistance Group, ang pinakamatandang network ng human rights lawyers sa Pilipinas. Full-time faculty member din siya ng University of the Philippines College of Law na may ranggong assistant professor.
Nakipaglitis na si Te sa lahat ng antas ng court system at nagprisinta ng oral arguments sa Court of Appeals at Supreme Court sa malalaking constitutional issues, kabilang ang death penalty at Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020.
Naging abogado rin siya ng journalists sa libel at cyberlibel cases, nagsanay ng journalists at advocates sa legal defense laban sa defamation suits at red-tagging, naging resource person sa freedom of expression at civil and political rights, at namuno sa University of the Philippines College of Law Clinical Legal Education Program.
Si Robles naman ang founding at managing partner ng Chan Robles & Associates. Saklaw ng kanyang practice ang criminal at civil litigation, corporate law, election law, labor and employment law, taxation at tax administration, reclamation, at public-private partnership.
Nagsilbi rin si Robles bilang legal at legislative consultant sa ilang public officials at institutions, kabilang bilang chief of staff at chief legislative consultant sa Senado, kung saan humawak siya ng civil service, government reorganization, national defense, at security legislation.
Pumang-10 si Robles sa 1990 Bar examinations, nagtapos na cum laude at class valedictorian sa Far Eastern University Institute of Law, at nagturo ng Criminal Law, Administrative and Election Law, at Special Proceedings.
Si Labay ay CPA-lawyer at senior partner sa Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm, na may dekada ng karanasan sa litigation, law practice, teaching, at legal writing.
Bago bumalik sa Chan Robles, nagsilbi si Labay bilang managing partner at litigation lawyer sa LAMP o Labay Madamba Piccio Law Offices mula 1997 hanggang January 2023.
Nagturo rin siya ng law sa New Era University, kung saan hinawakan niya ang Remedial Law Review, Evidence, at Civil Law. May akda rin siya ng libro tungkol sa Persons and Family Relations.
Si Divinagracia naman ang managing partner ng Co Nazario Velasco-Catera and Divinagracia Law Offices. May karanasan siya sa commercial, civil at criminal litigation, arbitration, product liability, corporate rehabilitation, intra-corporate controversies, labor, at family law.
Dati siyang nagtrabaho sa Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department ng ACCRALAW at nagturo sa Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Ateneo de Naga College of Law, at Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law.
Nakuha ni Divinagracia ang kanyang Juris Doctor mula sa Ateneo de Manila University School of Law at nakilala sa international moot court competitions, kabilang ang Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition at Asia Cup sa Tokyo.
Si Tolosa, na nagsisilbi nang legal spokesperson ng prosecution, pormal ding ipakikilala bilang private prosecutor.
Siya ang founding at managing partner ng Tolosa Lim & Chua Law Firm, kung saan pinamumunuan niya ang Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice at ang lawyers na humahawak ng complex civil, criminal, administrative, at regulatory disputes.
May higit 17 years ng litigation experience si Tolosa sa trial courts, appellate courts, administrative agencies, at quasi-judicial bodies. Saklaw ng practice niya ang financial crimes, intra-corporate controversies, antitrust, constitutional law, torts, heinous crimes, at contractual disputes.
Idaragdag din si Barbers sa roster ng prosecution spokespersons at magsisilbi siyang impeachment adviser, dala ang mahabang karanasan sa public service, legislation, at public communication.
Nagsilbi si Barbers bilang governor ng Surigao del Norte, six-term member ng House of Representatives, at chair ng ilang key congressional committees, kabilang ang Committee on Dangerous Drugs at ang historic Quad Committee.
Sa kanyang mga taon sa public office, tumulong si Barbers sa legislation tungkol sa taxation, education, national security, public safety, at government reform.
Patuloy din niyang itinaguyod ang transparency, accountability, at responsible governance, lalo na sa mga congressional inquiry tungkol sa public funds, law enforcement, at mga isyu ng national interest.
Ayon sa prosecution, kilala si Barbers sa straightforward approach at malalim na pagkaunawa sa public policy, dahilan para igalang siya ng mga kasamang opisyal, mga institusyong pampubliko, at media sa pagpapaliwanag ng komplikadong mga isyung pambansa sa malinaw at praktikal na paraan.
Sasama ang mga bagong private prosecutor sa existing private prosecution team na tutulong sa House panel habang naghahanda ang Senate impeachment court para sa trial proper laban kay Duterte.
Ayon sa prosecution panel, layon ng mga bagong dagdag na palakasin ang presentation of evidence, patalasin ang trial preparation, at tulungan ang publiko na mas maunawaan ang constitutional process na nasa Senate impeachment court. /Bistado