Lawmakers on Thursday said the addition of incoming House of Representatives members Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno in the prosecution panel is a decisive move that fortifies the legal weight and institutional credibility of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
House Assistant Majority leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the inclusion of the two legal luminaries not only enriches the prosecution’s case, but also signals the House’s resolve to uphold democratic accountability through the impeachment process.
“With the addition of incoming Reps. De Lima and Diokno, we see the convergence of moral clarity and legal precision in our pursuit of conviction. Their presence brings not only valuable expertise but also a profound human rights perspective that elevates the quality of the entire proceeding,” he said.
Diokno, who represents Akbayan party-list, and De Lima of Mamamayang Liberal will now join the House of Representatives as members of the 20th Congress following their groups’ respective victories in the 2025 elections.
Adiong, a stalwart of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), noted that De Lima’s presence on the panel carries deep symbolic and institutional weight, given her experience as a former senator and former secretary of justice.
“Her inclusion is more than strategic; it is poetic. It tells us that the advance of justice, may be delayed, but never denied,” Adiong noted. He said that both De Lima and Diokno have long embodied the kind of leadership rooted in the rule of law, not in fear or political convenience.
“Rep. Chel Diokno has spent decades defending rights, educating lawyers and upholding the Constitution. His presence assures the public that this trial is about truth, not theatrics, not power plays,” Adiong added.
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union echoed Adiong’s views as he also welcomed the seasoned human rights lawyers in the House prosecution team for the impeachment trial of VP Duterte.
Ortega said their participation brings serious legal firepower and further boosts the credibility and integrity of the process. “It’s not just that the team grew—we’ve added two voices who have long been fighting for human rights and the rule of law,” he said.
“The presence of incoming Rep. De Lima and Rep. Diokno is significant, not just in terms of legal matters, but also in the moral aspect of the impeachment trial of VP Duterte” Ortega added.
“They are our true icons of justice, so it is a big deal that they agreed to be part of the House prosecution. This shows the kind of leaders we want on the frontlines: those who have spent their lives defending the Constitution,” Ortega noted further.
De Lima and Diokno accepted to be a part of the House prosecution panel in the impeachment of VP Duterte on the invitation of Speaker Martin Romualdez. Both are recognized legal experts and longtime critics of extrajudicial abuses, giving the impeachment team substantial weight.
The impeachment trial stems from allegations that Vice President Duterte misused part of P612.5 million in confidential funds and threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and members of his family on national television—acts that the House found to be grounds for alleged betrayal of public trust.