The four newly appointed private prosecutors of the House prosecution panel formally addressed the public for the first time on Monday, June 29, expressing their commitment to pursue truth, accountability, and justice in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a press conference, the lawyers emphasized that their decision to volunteer in the constitutional process was driven by their belief that the Filipino people deserve transparency and accountability from public officials. Their statements came following the House prosecution panel's addition of four veteran private lawyers to strengthen its legal team for the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.
Atty. Arnold Labay underscored the importance of combating misinformation surrounding the impeachment process, urging the public to rely on facts rather than false narratives.
"Ako po ay kabilang sa hanay ng tinatawag na Generation X senior citizen... marami sa aming henerasyon ang nababahala sa mga nangyayari na maraming nagpapakalat ng mapanira at mga mapanirang fake news. Kung kaya sa impeachment proceedings po na ito, iniimbita po natin ang sambayan ng Pilipino na makinig, manood, at maging mapanuri upang sila po mismo sa sarili nila malaman nila kung ano yung totoo," Labay said.
He stressed that the prosecution panel's primary objective is for truth to prevail and justice to be served.
"Sa dulo naman po lahat ng ito, kami po sa prosecution panel, ang nais lang naman po namin ay maneig ang katotohanan at makamit ang hustisya," he added.
Meanwhile, Atty. Reynaldo Robles said he and his fellow private prosecutors normally prefer to work quietly behind the scenes, but believed the impeachment case demanded their active participation.
"Kami ho yung normally would rather blend in the background and would do our work quietly and let our work speak for itself. Pero dito po sa impeachment case na ito, kami po ay naglakas ng loob na mag-volunteer dahil sa tingin po namin, hindi na pwede po yung pipikit na lang natin yung ating mata samantalang may mga nangyayari sa ating lipunan na hindi nakatanggap-tanggap," Robles said.
He explained that they volunteered to support the constitutional process of accountability and help present the facts through their litigation experience.
"We volunteered because we want to help out in the process of accountability ordained in the Constitution. We also want to... ipalabas yung katotohanan dito sa mga nangyari sa ating bayan," he said.
Quoting a biblical passage, Robles added, "We will know the truth and the truth shall set us free," saying that establishing the truth would help restore public trust in government institutions and enable the country to move forward.
For her part, Atty. Mae Divinagracia described her participation in the prosecution panel as both an honor and a responsibility rooted in public accountability.
"It's an honor for me to be working with great legal minds in this very important constitutional process. Like the other private prosecutors, I joined the prosecution team for one reason and that's accountability," Divinagracia said.
She added that Filipinos deserve "absolute transparency and accountability" from their leaders and expressed hope that her years of litigation experience would contribute to presenting the facts clearly and objectively during the impeachment proceedings.
The addition of Labay, Robles, Divinagracia, and another private lawyer further strengthens the House prosecution panel as it prepares for the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte. The panel said the expanded legal team aims to ensure that the constitutional process is carried out professionally, objectively, and in pursuit of truth and accountability for the Filipino people.
