Lawyers tapped to assist the House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte said Thursday they are prepared for public scrutiny and attacks as they pursue the case before the Senate.
During a press conference, members of the newly announced private prosecution team said criticism, background checks and attempts to discredit them would not affect their work.
Lawyer Lorna Kapunan said public criticism comes with the profession and would not distract the team from presenting an evidence-based case.
“It does not matter if we are hit personally for all the wrong or right things I’ve done in the past. What matters here is that we are useful in supporting our public prosecutors in presenting a strong, fair and evidence-based case,” Kapunan said.
Amando Virgil Ligutan of SALiGAL Law said the scrutiny accompanying the impeachment proceedings is outweighed by the responsibility of participating in a case that could set an important precedent on public accountability.
“The scrutiny, the fake news, the memes that will be created attacking us will be nothing compared to the honor of being part of the private prosecutors,” Ligutan said.
Marthor Fua of Pecabar Law said the prosecution team would treat the impeachment case like any other legal assignment.
“To us, this is just like any other legal work that we have handled. We were given a job and an objective, and we will fulfill that objective,” Fua said.
House prosecutor Gerville Luistro, meanwhile, said the impeachment trial is ultimately about accountability, regardless of who presides over the Senate proceedings.
“By impeachment trial, we’re trying to exact accountability from public officials,” Luistro said.
She added that the House prosecution panel is not focused solely on conviction or acquittal but on upholding the constitutional principle that public office is a public trust.