PRIVATE prosecutors assisting the House panel in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte have rejected any attempt to brand them as Malacañang’s lawyers, stressing that they do not take instructions from the Palace, the Senate or any political office.
Veteran litigator Lorna Patajo-Kapunan addressed the issue after questions were raised over the background of some lawyers in the first batch of private prosecutors, including PECABAR Law’s historical association with the Marcos family.
“Whether from the House, whether from the Senate, whether from Malacañang, we do not receive instructions. We are here, we give our professional help, we do our own personal judgments as to political issues and our own separate political beliefs,” Kapunan emphasized.
“So sasabihin nila na Malacañang ang private prosecutors, ay mag-isip-isip sila. Magaling rin kami mag-file ng cyber libel complaint kagaya ng public prosecutors,” she added.
Kapunan also corrected a typographical error that apparently suggested she had worked with Malacañang, stressing that she never served in the Palace.
“I never worked with Malacañang, never had the opportunity. So typo error lang po,” Kapunan clarified.
“I have worked with Pecabar and I can speak for the private prosecutors and from our lawyers that we do not receive instructions from anyone,” she added.
PECABAR Law managing partner Marforth Fua acknowledged his firm’s past association with the Marcos family but stressed that the invitation to assist came from the House prosecution panel and not from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. or any member of the First Family.
“Well, we cannot really hide our identity because Pecabar really, since the time of President Marcos Sr., is closely associated really with the Marcoses. But this, it is the House who enlisted our support, not the President or not anyone of the First Family,” Fua explained.
“So, I mean, we cannot hide our identity unfortunately. But as you can see, me and Dean Diokno previously, we are adversaries in court,” he added.
Fua maintained that the impeachment engagement is being handled as professional legal work and not as a partisan or personal assignment.
“But now, we are here together with a common cause. So, as I’ve said, this is just any other regular case handled by the firm,” Fua noted.
“It’s nothing special. So it is just a purely professional engagement,” he added.
SALiGAL Law managing partner Amando Virgil Ligutan defended the independence and competence of the PECABAR lawyers, saying any past political association has no bearing on their current work.
“Whatever their past political affiliation, they have nothing to do on the task at hand. Napaka-independent, napaka-credible, napaka-professional, and more than anything, napaka-competent po ng ating mga abogado from Pecabar,” Ligutan stressed.
Lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro made clear that the decision to choose the private prosecutors belonged only to the 11 House prosecutors.
“We want to make it clear, ang pagpili po ng private prosecutors is exclusive decision ng 11 House prosecutors. It is us who decide kung sino ang tutulong sa amin na private prosecutors,” Luistro declared.
The House prosecution panel earlier introduced lawyers from PECABAR Law, Kapunan and Castillo Law Offices and SALiGAL Law as the first batch of private prosecutors who will assist in the impeachment proceedings before the Senate.
