More private prosecutors to join VP Duterte trial before July 6 — Luistro

MANILA, Philippines — More private prosecutors are expected to join the House prosecution team before the July 6 opening of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chair of the House committee on justice and the lead prosecutor.

“It’s true. The private prosecutors keep on coming to join the impeachment team, and we’re happy about that because that is a validation that even private lawyers — the abogado de campanilla — believe in the cause of the House of Representatives,” Luistro said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“They are joining us in our stand to protect and preserve and enforce this accountability mechanism,” she added.

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Earlier, the House prosecution team introduced the first batch of 10 private lawyers who will assist the 11 public prosecutors in the trial.

“Let us see this week if we can introduce the next batch, but definitely all of them will be introduced before we start our trial on July 6,” she said.

As to how many private prosecutors could be introduced, she said: “Ideally, it should be identical to the number of public prosecutors. Remember, we are 11. So ideally, the private prosecutors should also be 11. We have introduced 10 already.”

Luistro clarified that even lawyers who would not formally enter their appearance before the impeachment court could still contribute to the preparation of the case.

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“But certainly, those who will not be entering an appearance before the impeachment court will still be part of the team because preparation before trial is significant,” Luistro pointed out.

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The House prosecution team is preparing for the June 18 pre-trial conference, where witnesses, evidence, and procedural matters will be discussed.

Three basic factors will be considered in accepting private lawyers into the team.

“First and foremost, they share the same position as ours. Second, they should do it pro bono because the public prosecutors can’t pay them. And third, of course, we consider the competence,” Luistro said.

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“And so far from the first batch, as you have seen, all of the abogado de campanilla ang private prosecutors are joining the prosecution team,” she added. /atm