The House prosecution panel has added four private lawyers and a trial spokesperson to its team a week before the start of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a press briefing, prosecutor and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima announced that Atty. Theodore O. Te, Atty. Reynaldo B. Robles, Atty. Arnold H. Labay, CPA, and Atty. Mae S. Divinagracia has joined the private prosecution panel assisting the House team.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers was also named spokesperson and impeachment adviser for the prosecution. He previously served as overall chairperson of the House Quad Committee during the 19th Congress.
“It is our privilege to formally introduce the newest members of the private prosecution panel, as well as the panel’s additional spokesperson and impeachment adviser,” de Lima told reporters in a press conference.
“This impeachment trial is not an ordinary legal engagement; it is a constitutional proceeding where preparation, discipline, and fidelity to the evidence matter deeply,” she said in a statement.
“We welcome these seasoned lawyers because their experience will help the prosecution present its case clearly, responsibly, and with the seriousness that the Filipino people deserve,” de Lima said.
De Lima cited the private lawyers’ experience in Supreme Court communications, human rights litigation, tax, criminal law, legislative work, and trial advocacy.
Te, who served as chief public information officer of the Supreme Court from 2013 to 2018, leads the new additions to the private prosecution team. He brings experience in courtroom litigation, human rights work, legal education, and public communication.
He is the interim chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance Group, the oldest network of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, and is a full-time faculty member of the University of the Philippines 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 Supreme Court on major constitutional issues, including the death penalty and the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020.
He has also 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 covers criminal and civil litigation, corporate law, election law, labor and employment law, taxation and tax administration, reclamation, and public-private partnership.
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, a CPA-lawyer and senior partner at Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm, brings decades of experience in litigation, law practice, teaching, and legal writing.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, Barbers will serve as impeachment adviser, bringing decades of public service, legislative experience, and public communication work to the team handling updates on the impeachment proceedings.
He served as governor of Surigao del Norte, as a six-term member of the House of Representatives, and as chair of several key congressional committees, including the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and the historic Quad Committee.
Throughout his years in public office, Barbers helped shape legislation on taxation, education, national security, public safety, and government reform.
He has also consistently advocated transparency, accountability, and responsible governance, particularly in congressional inquiries involving public funds, law enforcement, and national interest issues.
Known for his straightforward approach and deep understanding of public policy, Barbers has earned the respect of colleagues, government institutions, and the media for explaining complex national issues in clear and practical terms.
The four new private prosecutors will join the existing private prosecution team assisting the House panel as the Senate impeachment court prepares for the trial proper against Duterte.
The prosecution panel said the additions are meant to strengthen the presentation of evidence, sharpen trial preparation, and help the public better understand the constitutional process now before the Senate impeachment court.