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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'G na ito!:' House prosecution team at full force in the Senate Monday

'G na ito!:' House prosecution team at full force in the Senate Monday

Published May 14, 2026 11:53 pm

At A Glance

  • The Senate, under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, is set to formally convene as an impeachment court on May 18, 2026, to hear the case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
  • Rep. Terry Ridon confirms that the full 11-member House prosecution panel will attend the Senate proceedings, with Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro expected to lead the team.
  • Vice President Duterte faces allegations of misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, false asset declarations, unexplained wealth, and issuing death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon says the House prosecution team will be fully represented at the Senate on Monday, May 18 when the upper chamber formally convenes as an impeachment court on the case of Vice President Sara Duterte.
"Yup [the] full team will attend," Ridon said on Thursday, May 14, referring to the 11-strong prosecution team, which he was a part of.
May 18 will have been the one-week mark since the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to impeach Vice President Duterte for the second time in as many years.
Earlier Thursday, newly-installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano announced that the Senate will formally convene as an impeachment court on May 18.
It was on Wednesday night when House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil led then physical transmission of the voluminous imeachment documents--including the articles of impeachment and related evidence--to the Senate in Pasay City.
“Nagpapasalamat po ang House prosecution panel sa pagbanggit po ni Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano na iko-convene na po ang Senate impeachment court laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte sa darating na May 18, 2026, Lunes at 3 p.m.,” Ridon told House reporters.
(The House prosecution panel thanks Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for mentioning that the Senate impeachment court against Vice President Sara Duterte will be convened on May 18, 2026, Monday at 3 p.m.)
“Maaasahan din po na ‘yon pong kabuuan ng House prosecution panel ay magpupunta rin po dito po sa araw na ito para saksihan ‘yon pong pag-convene ng Senate impeachment court,” added the lawyer-legislator.
(It is also expected that the entire House prosecution panel will come here on that day to witness the convening of the Senate impeachment court.)
Under the Constitution, the Senate is mandated to convene "forthwith" as an impeachment court once it receives the articles of impeachment.
The 11-member prosecution team is composed of lawyer-lawmakers, veteran litigators, former prosecutors, and senior House leaders from both the majority and minority blocs.
Aside from Ridon, the panel includes Reps. Joel Chua (Manila 3rd District), Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal Party-list), Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro (Batangas 2nd District), Chel Diokno (Akbayan Party-list), Ysabel Maria Zamora (San Juan City), Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro City 1st District), Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon 2nd District), Lorenz Defensor (Iloilo 3rd District), Rodge Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list), and Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands).
Ridon says that while it has yet to be formally announced, Luistro--the chairperson of the House Committee on Justice that carried out hearings on Duterte’s 2026 impeachment complaints--is expected to be the lead prosecutor.
House leaders earlier described the prosecution team as a “powerhouse” panel assembled to uphold the Constitution and present the impeachment case with professionalism and respect for due process.
The Vice President was impeached in 2025, but the Senate--then led by Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero--failed to carry out an actual trial against the lady official.
The case was eventually declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC) on a technicality. Meanwhile, the 2026 case has been billed to be legally airtight.
Vice President Duterte's conviction through 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.

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