ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Barbers hails prosecutor Divinagracia's 'pro bono passion' in VP Duterte trial

Barbers hails prosecutor Divinagracia's 'pro bono passion' in VP Duterte trial

Published Aug 30, 2026 03:08 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Robert Ace Barbers praises private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia's courtroom work, citing her skill in presenting evidence and examining witnesses during VP Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.
  • Divinagracia drew attention for strong language in questioning OVP official Lemuel Ortonio, prompting calls from defense lawyers and Senator Escudero to moderate her tone.
  • Barbers underscores that the 15 private prosecutors are pro bono volunteers under the slogan "Para sa Bayan," noting high interest required limiting their number.
Lawyer Mae Divinagracia (left), Robert Ace Barbers (Facebook)
Lawyer Mae Divinagracia (left), Robert Ace Barbers (Facebook)


If anybody among the private prosecutors in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial has exemplified what "pro bono passion" is all about, it's lawyer Mae Divinagracia.
This, as House impeachment adviser Robert Ace Barbers recognized Divinagracia's efforts as well as the rest of the prosecution in the high-stakes trial, which will soon enter its third month.
Barbers singled out Divinagracia for her courtroom work, describing her handling of evidence and witness examination as an example of the legal talent assembled by the prosecution.
⠀
“And we appreciate the fact that itong magagaling na mga abogado na ito kagaya ni Atty. Divinagracia, magaling sa presentation ng ebidensya at sa kanyang pagdi-direct examination sa witness,” the former three-term Surigao del Norte told a news forum over the weekend.
(And we appreciate the fact that these excellent lawyers, such as Atty. Divinagracia, are skilled at presenting evidence and conducting direct examinations of witnesses.)
Divinagracia grabbed headlines during the impeachment hearing last Aug. 25 when she used "strong language" during her direct examination of OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio.
This caused her to get called out by Duterte’s defense lawyers, and in the end presiding officer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero asked her to tone down her choice of words.
Lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro has since taken up the cudgels for Divinagracia. Now, Barbers has done the same.
“But you know, ito sila 'yung ating mga private prosecutors, sila po ay volunteers, pro bono po ito sila. Kaya nga ang kanilang slogan ‘Para sa Bayan,’” he explained.
(But you know, these private prosecutors are volunteers, they are pro bono. That’s why their slogan is ‘Para sa Bayan [This is for the country].')
The House formally assembled its 15-strong private prosecution team in June to supplement the 11 House prosecutors assigned across the four articles of impeachment. It brought together experienced litigators, former government lawyers and legal practitioners to assist in trial preparation and courtroom presentation.
⠀
Barbers said the lawyers offered their services voluntarily as part of what they regarded as a public-service undertaking rather than a paid engagement.
Private prosecutors have since participated in direct examinations of witnesses and the presentation of evidence against respondent Duterte.
⠀
Barbers disclosed that interest from lawyers willing to volunteer was so high that the prosecution had to limit the size of its private legal contingent.
⠀
“Pero kami as far as the private prosecutors are concerned, ni-limit pa nga po 'yun dahil nga marami pong gustong mag-volunteer at hindi naman pupwedeng napakarami,” he noted.
⠀
(But as far as the private prosecutors are concerned, we even had to limit it because so many wanted to volunteer, and it wouldn’t be possible to have too many.)

Related Tags

Robert Ace Barbers Mae Divinagracia impeachment Sara Duterte
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.