Will this dream team of House member-prosecutors be able to get a conviction on the impeached Vice President Sara Duterte?

During plenary session on Tuesday night, May 12, the House of Representatives formally named its 11-member prosecution team composed of the brightest lawyer-solons in the chamber.

Elected to prosecution panel were Reps. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd district);,Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal Party-list), Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Reyes-Luistro (Batangas, 2nd district), Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list), Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno (Akbayan Party-list), Ysabel Maria Zamora (San Juan City, lone district), Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro City, 1st district); Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon, 2nd district); Lorenz Defensor (Iloilo, 3rd district); Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list), and Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands, lone district).

Luistro, chairperson of the House Committee on Justice, is expected to lead the panel, which is composed of a healthy mix of young and more seasoned lawmakers, as well as both majority and minority bloc members.

The composition of the prosecution panel was made official a day after the House overwhelmingly voted to impeach Vice President Duterte for the second time in two years.

The Vice President's conviction through Senate impeachment trial is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Duterte can be convicted on any one of these alleged impeachable offenses.

Several members of the prosecution team are among the most prominent legal figures in the country.

De Lima, who currently serves as senior deputy minority leader, is a former senator, secretary of justice, and chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights who gained international recognition for her defense of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

A graduate of San Beda College of Law, De Lima placed eighth in the 1985 Bar Examinations and was later named by Time Magazine as one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People.”

Diokno, currently deputy minority leader, is one of the country’s leading human rights lawyers and formerly chaired the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the Philippines’ oldest human rights lawyers’ group, for more than two decades.

He also served as private prosecutor during the impeachment proceedings against former President Joseph Estrada and later became founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law. He earned his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Luistro was one of the lead investigators in the landmark tax credit scam probe during the Arroyo administration.

A lawyer and former state counsel, Luistro graduated cum laude in both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Batangas and has played a central role in some of the House’s most high-profile investigations in recent years.

Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, is a lawyer and former four-term Manila city councilor who has led congressional investigations involving confidential funds, corruption, and accountability issues.

He earned his juris doctor degree from San Sebastian College-Recoletos and his accountancy degree from the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Ridon currently serves as chairperson of the House Committee on Accounts. A lawyer, broadcaster, and former Kabataan Party-list congressman, he also headed the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor under the previous administration. He earned his law degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law and later completed Harvard Business School’s General Management Program.

Zamora, an Assistant Majority Leader, is a UP-trained lawyer and former partner at Zamora and Poblador Law Offices specializing in litigation, corporate law, and criminal law. She earned both her Political Science degree, where she graduated cum laude, and her Juris Doctor degree from the UP-Diliman.

Suan, meanwhile, chairs the House Committee on Public Information and has built his legislative work around social justice, healthcare, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation after previously serving as a city councilor and lawyer in Cagayan de Oro.

Flores, meanwhile, earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Ateneo de Davao University before practicing law and later becoming a partner at the Europa, Dacanay, Cubelo, Europa and Flores Law Office prior to entering politics.

Defensor currently serves as Senior Deputy Majority Leader and is a lawyer specializing in energy law and utilities regulation before entering politics. He earned his Political Science degree and Master’s degree in Public Administration from the UP-Diliman before obtaining his Bachelor of Laws degree from UST and passing the Bar in 2004.

Gutierrez, currently deputy majority leader, is a lawyer and transportation advocate who has championed legislation focused on road safety and the welfare of Filipino riders and motorists. He earned his BS Management major in Legal Management and his Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University before serving as legal counsel of the Gutierrez Law Office and legal officer of the Party-list Coalition Foundation.

Bag-ao, a human rights lawyer and agrarian reform advocate, was a former prosecutor during the Corona impeachment trial. She also served as governor of the Dinagat Islands from 2019 to 2022.