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Imee Marcos praises Sheila Sison: 'Clearly an experienced litigator'

Published Jul 7, 2026 01:39 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Imee Marcos praised Vice President Sara Duterte's lead defense counsel, Atty. Sheila Sison, describing her as "clearly an experienced litigator and passionate about her work" after watching her in the first day of the impeachment trial.
  • Marcos said she had expected her former classmate, lawyer Philip Sigfrid "Sig" Fortun, to serve as lead counsel, noting that she "missed" seeing him take the lead during the defense's opening presentation.
Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday praised Vice President Sara Duterte's lead defense counsel, lawyer Sheila Sison, describing her as an experienced litigator after watching her opening presentation before the Senate impeachment court.
(Senate PRIB photo)
(Senate PRIB photo)
"First time I watched her at work: she is clearly an experienced litigator and passionate about her work," she said in a text message.
"But I missed my classmate Sig Fortun, whom I thought would be lead counsel," she added.
Marcos was referring to lawyer Philip Sigfrid "Sig" Fortun, who is also part of Duterte's legal team. Sison led the respondent's opening presentation at the start of the impeachment trial.
Sison is expected to remain a central figure in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial as proceedings resume on Tuesday, July 7.
Even before issuing the opening statements, Sison, the lead counsel for Duterte’s defense team, first opposed the prosecution’s request to arraign the Vice President, arguing that Duterte was already properly represented before the Senate impeachment court through counsel.
The Senate impeachment trial resumes at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

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Sheila Sison Imee Marcos Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment trial
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