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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Mga desperado at galit!': Kapunan knows why trolls are working overtime vs House prosecution team

'Mga desperado at galit!': Kapunan knows why trolls are working overtime vs House prosecution team

Published Jul 16, 2026 06:16 pm

At A Glance

  • Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan says the rise in troll activity and personal attacks against the House prosecution team signals desperation and frustration from Duterte supporters.
  • Kapunan warns that online campaigns can be artificially inflated and should not be mistaken for genuine public sentiment, noting attacks have shifted from legal arguments to personal ones.
  • Rep. Joel Chua urges Filipinos to follow the impeachment trial directly, framing it as a fight for truth against fake news and stressing the need to avoid being deceived by social media.
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan (Unsplash, Senate PRIB)
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan (Unsplash, Senate PRIB)


Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan has described as a "sign of desperation and frustration" the apparent surge in troll activity and personal attacks against members of the House prosecution team, which is out to convict impeachment trial respondent Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Kung dumadami ’yung mga trolls (If the number of trolls are increasing), I think that is a sign of desperation. Frustrated na sila (They are frustrated),” Kapunan said in a press conference on Thursday, July 16.
Kapunan was presumably referring to supporters of Duterte, who had been impeached by the House of Representatives twice in as many years. This is the first time that that latter was put on trial, specifically by a Senate impeachment court.
Kapunan said the increasing number of troll accounts should not be mistaken for genuine public sentiment.
She said online campaigns can be artificially inflated through technology. This allows political operators to create the impression of overwhelming support for a particular person.
Kapunan also observed that attacks against the prosecutors like herself have shifted away from the legal issues surrounding the impeachment trial.
“Hindi na ’yung arguments, legal arguments or kung anong nangyari. Tinitira na nila personal na,” she noted.
(They are no longer attacking with arguments, legal arguments, or about what happened. They are making personal attacks.)
Don't rely on social media 
Another member of the prosecution team, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, reiterated the House of Representatives' appeal to Filipinos to follow the impeachment proceedings themselves instead of relying on social media for information or updates.
“Alam mo kami sa prosecution, ’yung katotohanan lang ang gusto namin. Kaya nga dito pa lang makikita mo kung anong klase ’yung laban na ’to. Ito ay laban ng katotohanan at laban ng fake news,” Chua said.
(You know, for us in the prosecution, we only want the truth. That is why even now you can already see what kind of fight this is. This is a fight for truth and a fight against fake news.)
“Kaya nga po hinihikayat natin ’yung mga kababayan natin na subaybayan ang impeachment trial nang sa ganun ay hindi sila mapepeke,” added the solon-prosecutor.
(That is why we are encouraging our fellow citizens to follow the impeachment trial so that they will not be deceived.)

Related Tags

Troll Impeachment Sara Duterte Lorna Kapunan joel chua prosecution
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