By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has formally assembled an 11-member prosecution panel that will spearhead the impeachment case against Sara Duterte before the Senate.
Leading the prosecution team is Gerville Luistro, chairperson of the House Committee on Justice, who was officially designated to head the group during Tuesday’s plenary session.
The motion naming the prosecution panel was introduced by Assistant Majority Floor Leader Mark Anthony Santos and later approved by Deputy Speaker Ferjenel Biron, who presided over the session.
Included in the prosecution lineup are:
- Lorenz Defensor
- Joel Chua
- Jonathan Keith Flores
- Ysabel Maria Zamora
- Rodge Gutierrez
- Terry Ridon
- Leila de Lima
- Chel Diokno
- Lordan Suan
- Kaka Bag-ao
Six members of the panel — Luistro, Defensor, Chua, Flores, Zamora, and Gutierrez — were also part of the original prosecution team formed after Duterte’s first impeachment in February 2025.
Meanwhile, Ridon, de Lima, Diokno, Suan, and Bag-ao joined the prosecution panel as new additions following the House’s latest move to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
The impeachment complaint advanced after lawmakers voted in favor of the committee report, clearing the way for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court for Duterte’s trial.
ia/xf
