Representatives-elect Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno, and Vice President Sara Duterte. - PDI
MANILA: They have yet to take their oath as party-list representatives, but prominent roles already await lawyers and human rights activists Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno in the incoming Congress.
In separate statements released on Wednesday (May 14), De Lima and Diokno, who are the first nominees of Mamamayang Liberal (ML) and Akbayan, respectively, confirmed that they will be joining the House of Representatives’ 11-man prosecution team in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Two vacancies are anticipated in the prosecution panel when the 20th Congress opens in July. Two of the prosecutors, Loreto Acharon and Raul Angelo Bongalon, have lost their election bids as representatives in General Santos City and Albay, respectively.
“The speaker has invited me to serve on the prosecution panel for the upcoming impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. I have accepted,” said De Lima in a statement.
“My decision comes from a place of duty and principle. I have always stood for truth, accountability, and the rule of law — across different administrations, regardless of political affiliation. That commitment remains unchanged,” she added.
She stressed that her participation is “not about personalities or partisan politics.”
De Lima was a staunch critic of the war on drugs under former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Vice President’s father. Earning his ire, she was jailed for six years on drug trafficking charges that were eventually dismissed after government witnesses retracted their testimonies.
“It is about honoring the public trust and the responsibilities that come with it. My participation is one part of the broader agenda for justice and reform—an agenda I intend to pursue fully as I take my place in the House of Representatives,” De Lima said.
Akbayan, which topped Monday’s midterm polls for party list groups, announced Diokno’s participation as one of the prosecutors.
“As the principal endorser of the first impeachment complaint and after thorough party deliberations, we extend our full support to this historic process of accountability,” Akbayan said in a statement.
“Incoming Akbayan Representative Atty. Chel Diokno will join the House prosecution panel,” it said.
This is not the first time that Diokno has served as a prosecutor in an impeachment court. In 2001, he was a private prosecutor at the Senate trial of then-President Joseph Estrada.
The first impeachment complaint against the Vice President, filed on Dec. 2 by various civil society and advocacy groups as well as the families of those killed in Duterte’s so-called war on drugs, was endorsed by Akbayan party list Rep. Percival Cendana.
It cited five grounds for impeachment, including culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
It also included 24 articles or specific charges, including Duterte’s alleged abandonment of her duty when she left for Germany at the height of Super Typhoon Carina, as well as her continuing silence in the face of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
ML party-list members were among the 16 signatories in the initial complaint, with De Lima designated as the group’s spokesperson.
The House adopted a fourth complaint to impeach Duterte on Feb 5 this year, transmitting it to the Senate for trial after being signed by 215 House members.
In a statement on Wednesday, Speaker Martin Romualdez, who won a fresh mandate as a Leyte representative, welcomed the inclusion of De Lima and Diokno in the House prosecution panel, citing their “unquestioned legal expertise and deep commitment to justice.”
“Former Senator De Lima and Atty. Diokno are two of the most respected legal minds in the country. Their potential inclusion in the prosecution panel would add credibility, balance, and depth to this constitutionally mandated process,” Romualdez said.
“They are not just veteran lawyers—they are public servants with a lifelong record of upholding the rule of law and protecting democratic institutions. Their involvement would be a valuable contribution to ensuring that the proceedings are fair, principled, and rooted in the public interest,” he added.
Romualdez said the impeachment trial should rise above politics and personalities and be undertaken with “utmost seriousness and responsibility.”
“This is not about targeting individuals. This is about fulfilling our constitutional duty with integrity. The House is committed to presenting a case based solely on facts, evidence, and the rule of law,” he said.
“The Senate, as the impeachment court, deserves to hear a case presented with competence and credibility. The participation of figures like De Lima and Diokno will help ensure that,” he added.
He reiterated that the aim was to preserve democratic institutions and uphold the Constitution “without fear or favor, and with the full trust of the Filipino people.”
Based on the timetable proposed by Senate President Francis Escudero in February, the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte will be presented to the plenary when the session opens on June 2, and her trial will begin on July 30. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
