The private lawyers helping prosecute Vice President Sara Z. Duterte in her Senate impeachment trial are working entirely without compensation under a “Para sa Bayan” volunteer banner.
House trial spokesperson and impeachment adviser Robert Ace Barbers highlighted the team’s volunteer status while addressing public reception of private litigators assisting the House prosecution panel.
“These private prosecutors are volunteers; this is pro bono. That’s why their slogan is ‘Para sa Bayan,’lBarbers explained, noting that the lawyers took on the responsibility as a form of public service.
The House assembled its 15-member private prosecution team in June to support the 11 House prosecutors managing the four articles of impeachment. The private contingent brings together seasoned litigators, corporate legal experts and former government attorneys to assist in trial strategy, direct examinations, and presenting evidence.
Barbers specifically commended Atty. Mae Divinagracia for her courtroom performance during witness examinations, pointing to her as an example of the top-tier legal talent on the team.
He added that overwhelming interest from the legal community forced the prosecution to limit the size of its private legal team. The final panel consists of 11 public prosecutors and 15 private prosecutors divided across the four impeachment articles, all operating on a pro bono basis.