If the Senate impeachment court is supposed to be a place of solemn constitutional reckoning, House Prosecution Counsel Lorna Kapunan appears determined to remind everyone that Philippine politics — in this case, Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial — has never exactly been short on absurdity.
To recap, Duterte is facing trial for allegedly misusing millions of confidential funds and committing graft, corruption, and bribery. But Kapunan has taken over the headlines with how her procedural exchanges turned into sound bites and how sometimes mundane pieces of evidence were transformed into the stuff of political theater.
On August 3, the House prosecution team rolled in 15 boxes of documents related to the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s confidential funds. During the trial, the 74-year-old lawyer gave the proceedings an unexpected dose of levity when she asked for a recess to skim and verify more than 800 acknowledgement receipts. “So I can sit down,” she reasoned, earning a chuckle from members of the court.
Kapunan once again lightened up the proceeding when she tried to translate all the highfalutin words in a joint circular from the Commission on Audit (COA), which mandates them to “promulgate accounting and auditing rules and regulations, including those for the prevention and disallowance of irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable expenditures, or uses of government funds and property.” Kapunan translated the word “extravagant” as “bongga ka day!” a cheeky pun on the 1970s hit song.
The House prosecution counsel took things to another level when the prosecution presented acknowledgement receipts bearing odd names that almost sound dubious, including Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piattos, Nova Santos, Patty Ting, Chippy McDonald, and Andy Lim; names that have become fodder for discussion online since they were first brought up during a House inquiry in 2024.
During the August 11 hearing, more unusual names surfaced on the acknowledgement receipts, namely Matthew Keso, Jay Kamote, and Miggy Mango. Kapunan then quipped, “Gumawa ata ng fruit salad ito,” poking fun at the food- and fruit-themed names listed.
Kapunan also compared Duterte’s Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) to Superman, after the Department of Education (DepEd) documents showed that several receipts were given and signed on the same day but supposedly issued in different provinces like Danao, Malolos, and Negros Occidental. Kapunan questioned whether the officer could have realistically been everywhere at once.
“Kasi ako, Marvel Comics ang binabasa ko; Superman ang favorite ko. Kung hindi man Superman ang isang SDO, kaya ba niyang puntahan, sa palagay mo, lahat na ito?” she said. However, Superman is actually a DC Comics character and not from Marvel, a detail that made Kapunan’s comparison more ironic.
On the following trial day, humor gave way to a heated exchange between Kapunan and defense counsel Kristine Ferrer. The two shared tense objections over cross-examination limits that Senate President Pro Tempore and Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero had to interfere and tell both opposing counsel to calm down.
“Let’s not allow the generational or seeming generational divide to increase the tension in the courtroom. Let’s keep it much lower,” Escudero said. The prosecutor later on stressed, “I am preventing myself from giving her a spanking. That’s what I would have done in the generational divide.” Ferrer, meanwhile, said that she actually idolizes and respects Kapunan after raising an issue about the prosecutor’s personal remarks.
“Let’s end here. It might sound like a eulogy, I’m still very much alive,” Kapunan joked.
It is precisely this mix of provocation and performance that has made Kapunan one of the more talked-about figures in the impeachment proceedings. Her quick wit and the humor that arose may make the proceedings more entertaining to follow, but it does not make the questions on accountability and the use of public funds before the impeachment court any less consequential.
When told about the Filipinos’ reactions and feedback, Kapunan said she was grateful for the praise and attributed it to her 48 years of experience.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Lorna Kapunan is a 74-year-old lawyer serving as the House Prosecution Counsel for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. She has 48 years of legal experience.
The proceedings involve allegations concerning the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP), with the House prosecution team presenting documents and other evidence related to the funds.
The receipts included names such as Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piattos, Nova Santos, Patty Ting, Chippy McDonald, Andy Lim, Matthew Keso, Jay Kamote, and Miggy Mango.
The House prosecution team has presented 15 boxes of documents related to the OVP’s confidential funds.
The two lawyers shared tense objections over cross-examination limits and a “generational divide,” enough for Senate President Pro Tempore and Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero to interfere and tell both opposing counsel to calm down.
