The first three days of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial are over, but they didn’t go without conflict. The impeachment court began tackling the grave threats charge on Tuesday, July 7. The trial included witness testimonies, the video of Duterte threatening to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos in a late-night online press conference, and defense lawyer Atty. Carlo Joaquin Narvasa bombarding prosecution counsel Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan with objections.
With 88 days of the trial to go, it’s good to get acquainted now with the lawyers on the prosecution and defense teams, and where they pursued their Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor. They’ll be on our social media feeds and TV screens for a while, after all.
The majority of the lawyers on both sides of the trial came from the same law schools, but some are outliers. The prosecution’s Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law in 2008. Meanwhile, Atty. Sheila Sison, Duterte’s lead counsel, graduated as class valedictorian from San Sebastian College-Recoletos College of Law. Defense attorneys Kristine Ferrer and Ralph Bodota graduated from Ateneo de Davao University College of Law and Arellano University School of Law, respectively.
Here’s where the other prosecution and defense lawyers pursued their law education before taking on the nation’s most-watched trial yet.
University of the Philippines College of Law
Prosecution
- Atty. Lorna Kapunan (1978)
- Atty. Theodore “Ted” Te (1990)
- Atty. Erwin G. Matib (2009)
- Atty. Justine Anne Lamarca (2011)
- Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan
Defense
- Atty. Philip Sigfrid Fortun (1983)
- Atty. Gregoria Narvasa II (1985)
- Atty. Michael Poa (2018)
Ateneo de Manila University School of Law
Prosecution
- Atty. Deanna Lorenzo-Singian (2002)
- Atty. Lino Kapunan (2006)
- Atty. Mae Divinagracia (2007)
- Atty. Bettina Zamora (2009)
Defense
- Atty. Mark Vinluan (2013)
- Atty. Carlo Joaquin Narvasa (2015)
- Atty. Roberto Batungbacal (2019)
- Atty. Miguel Carlos Fernandez (2024)
- Atty. Lindon Miguel Bacquel
San Beda University College of Law
Prosecution
- Atty. Sonya Benemerito-Castillo (1994)
- Atty. Marforth Fua (2007)
- Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih (2019)
Far Eastern University Institute of Law
Prosecution
- Atty. Reynaldo Robles (1990)
- Atty. Arnold Labay
Defense
- David Ronell Golla VII
University of San Carlos College of Law
Defense
- Atty. Justin Nicol Gular
- Atty. Karol Grace Oroceo
- Atty. Clarlaine Radoc
- Atty. Francesca Marie Flores
Frequently Asked Questions
Atty. Sheila Sison, Vice President Sara Duterte’s lead counsel, graduated class valedictorian from San Sebastian College-Recoletos College of Law.
The majority of lawyers on both the prosecution and defense teams studied at the same handful of schools, with the University of the Philippines College of Law and Ateneo de Manila University School of Law producing the most attorneys on either side.
As of the first three days of trial, the impeachment court has been tackling Vice President Sara Duterte’s grave threats charge, which it began hearing on July 7.
On July 7, the impeachment court heard the testimony of NBI senior agent John Mark Calilung and viewed a video of Vice President Sara Duterte threatening to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos during a late-night online press conference.
The articles of impeachment are the charges against a public official that would make them eligible for removal from office. Vice President Sara Duterte is charged with the following: misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats.
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