Lawyers Theordore Te, Reynaldo Robles, Arnold Labay, and Mae Divinagracia are giving additional legal muscle to the House prosecution team in their capacity as private prosecutors in Vice President Sara Duterte's upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

The quartet, along with lawyer Benjamin Tolosa who was introduced to House reporters earlier this month, comprised the second batch of private practitioners who wanted to help secure a guilty verdict on Duterte.

Te, who served as chief public information officer of the Supreme Court (SCl from 2013 to 2018, boasts of a rare combination of courtroom, human rights, legal education and public communication experience.

He is the interim chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance Group, the oldest network of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, and a full-time faculty member of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law with the rank of assistant professor.

Te has litigated cases at all levels of the court system and presented oral arguments before the Court of Appeals and the SC on major constitutional issues, including the death penalty and the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020.

He has represented journalists in libel and cyberlibel cases, trained journalists and advocates on legal defense against defamation suits and red-tagging, served as a resource person on freedom of expression and civil and political rights and headed the UP College of Law Clinical Legal Education Program.

Robles is the founding and managing partner of Chan Robles & Associates and a practicing lawyer whose work spans criminal and civil litigation, corporate law, election law, labor and employment law, taxation and tax administration, reclamation and public-private partnership.

“Dito po sa impeachment case na ito, kami po ay naglakas-loob na mag-volunteer dahil sa tingin po namin hindi na pwede ‘yung ipipikit na lang natin ang ating mata samantalang may mga nangyayari sa ating lipunan na hindi na katanggap-tanggap. At hindi na rin pwedeng isawalang-kibo na lang natin,” Robles said during a press conference Monday, June 29 at the House of Representatives. 

“We volunteered because we want to help out in the process of accountability ordained in the Constitution. We also want to ipalabas ‘yung katotohanan dito sa mga nangyari sa ating bayan (We also want to expose the truth with what is happening in our country),” he said.

He has also served as legal and legislative consultant to several public officials and institutions, including as chief of staff and chief legislative consultant in the Senate, where his work involved civil service, government reorganization, national defense and security legislation.

Robles placed 10th in the 1990 Bar examinations, graduated cum laude and class valedictorian from the Far Eastern University Institute of Law and previously taught Criminal Law, Administrative and Election Law, and Special Proceedings.

Labay is a certified public accountant (CPA)-lawyer and senior partner at Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm, with decades of experience in litigation, law practice, teaching and legal writing.

“Iniimbitahan po natin ang sambayanang Pilipino na makinig, manood at maging mapanuri upang sila mismo ang malaman kung ano ang totoo,” he said.

(We invite the Filipino people to listen, watch, and be discerning so they themselves will know what is true.)

Labay said the prosecution panel seeks only one outcome. “Ang nais lang naman po namin ay manaig ang katotohanan at makamit ang hustisya,” he said.

(What we want is for the truth to prevail and for justice to be achieved.)

Before returning to Chan Robles, Labay served as managing partner and litigation lawyer at LAMP or Labay Madamba Piccio Law Offices from 1997 to January 2023.

He also taught law at New Era University, handling Remedial Law Review, Evidence and Civil Law, and authored a book on Persons and Family Relations.

Divinagracia is the managing partner of Co Nazario Velasco-Catera and Divinagracia Law Offices and has experience in commercial, civil and criminal litigation, arbitration, product liability, corporate rehabilitation, intra-corporate controversies, labor and family law.

“I joined the prosecution team for one reason and that’s accountability. I believe that we, the Filipino people, deserve nothing less than absolute transparency and accountability from our leaders,” Divinagracia said.

She previously worked in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department of ACCRALAW and has taught at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Ateneo de Naga College of Law and Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law.

Divinagracia earned her Juris Doctor from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and was recognized in international moot court competitions, including the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition and the Asia Cup in Tokyo.

The first batch of 10 private prosecutors are as follows: Lorna Kapunan, Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo, Deanna Melissa Lorenzo-Singian, Lino Chris Kapunan, Bettina Zamora, Amando Virgil Ligutan, Marforth Fua, Erwin Matib, Justine Anne Lamarca, and James Bryan Ibrahim Alih.

Vice President Duterte's conviction via 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.