Sara Duterte impeachment trial: VP claps back at prosecutor Kapunan

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday hit back at private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan for calling her lead defense counsel, Sheila Sison, a “bully,” describing the remark as a “convenient way to vilify the person defending against an overwhelming display of political power.”

Kapunan made the remark after Sison delivered heated manifestations against the prosecution following its withdrawal of three of the four articles of impeachment against Duterte.

READ: ‘Duterte impeachment articles dropped as defense seeks to stretch trial’

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“Lorna Kapunan calling a defense counsel a bully is like calling David the aggressor against Goliath,” Duterte said in a statement.

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“It is a convenient way to vilify the person defending against an overwhelming display of political power,” she added.

Duterte said the irony was further exacerbated by Kapunan’s actions, although she may have been referring to the House prosecution as a whole.

She accused the prosecution of threatening and intimidating her office’s personnel and having them detained, while failing to “establish compelling evidence” for the impeachment case.

The vice president also noted that these events were unfolding while allegations of cash distribution and political maneuvering surrounding the 2027 national budget “raise troubling questions.”

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“Is the budget being used to serve the Filipino people, or has it become a bargaining chip to pressure senators who will sit as judges and reward those who vote ‘yes’ in the House of Representatives?” Duterte asked.

According to Duterte, her defense counsel had no role in such political transactions.

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“She (Sison) is simply doing her job. Since 2023, the defense team has devoted countless hours to preparing for this case, sacrificing sleep, family time, and peace of mind to study documents and prepare their defense,” Duterte added.

She further assailed Kapunan and the prosecution, saying the public deserved better than “political theater disguised as accountability.”

She claimed that the people were being taken for granted when impeachment and the national budget “are being used as instruments of political survival of the corrupt.”

“So spare us the arrogance and the name-calling. A defense counsel does not become a bully simply because she refuses to let your accusations go unchallenged,” Duterte said.

“And if accountability is truly your battle cry, apply it consistently—even to the president, who is firm that a drug habit is not about accountability. Evidence, not arrogance. Genuine accountability, not political persecution,” she added.

READ: VP impeachment trial: What the prosecution presented in 3 articles

While Duterte claimed that the prosecution had failed to substantiate its allegations in her impeachment trial, the panel presented evidence on three of the articles of impeachment against her, which covered accusations of grave threats, misuse of confidential funds, and unexplained wealth.

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The prosecution, however, dropped three of the four articles of impeachment against her, leaving allegations of unexplained wealth and nondisclosure of assets as the sole remaining basis for the trial. /mcm