De Lima, Diokno accept offer to serve as House prosecutors in Sara Duterte trial

Former senator Leila de Lima and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, both nominees of their respective party-list groups, have accepted invitations to join the prosecution panel of the House of Representatives in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

De Lima, the first nominee of the ML Partylist, told reporters that she received the offer today, Wednesday.

"Got a call from the Speaker just an hour ago. I answered yes to the suggestion/offer to be part of the prosecution panel," De Lima said in a message to reporters.

Several members of the 11-man House prosecution panel were not reelected in the recently concluded Eleksyon 2025.

"I've always believed that public office comes with the duty to uphold accountability, no matter the personalities involved. This is part of my continuing work for justice and reform. I'm here to serve the truth—nothing more, nothing less," De Lima added.

Based on GMA Network's partial and unofficial count of the 2025 midterm local and national elections as of 5:21 p.m. Wednesday, De Lima's ML Partylist ranks 14th with 541,134 votes or 1.32% of all votes received.

Where the numbers stand, ML's performance is good for one House seat as it is within the 63 party-list seats that need to be filled out.

On the other hand, Akbayan Partylist announced that Diokno, its first nominee, will be joining the House prosecution panel.

"Akbayan Party has been invited by the House of Representatives to be part of the House prosecution team in the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, once the Senate convenes as an impeachment court," Akbayan said in a statement.

It added, "As the principal endorser of the first impeachment complaint and after thorough party deliberations, we extend our full support to this historic process of accountability."

"Buong tapang na tinatanggap ng Akbayan ang bagong kabanata ng laban para sa katarungan at pananagutan (Akbayan courageously accepts the new chapter of the fight for justice and accountability)," Akbayan said.

Akbayan party-list is the frontrunner in the party-list race with over 6.71% or over 2.75 million of the votes cast, based on GMA Network's unofficial and partial count of Eleksyon 2025 results as of 5:21 p.m. Wednesday.

'Respected legal minds'

In a statement on Wednesday, Speaker Martin Romualdez said he favors the inclusion of De Lima and Diokno in the House prosecution panel, saying these opposition figures have "unquestioned legal expertise and deep commitment to justice."

"Former Senator De Lima and Atty. Diokno are two of the most respected legal minds in the country. Their potential inclusion in the prosecution panel would add credibility, balance, and depth to this constitutionally mandated process," Romualdez said.

"They are not just veteran lawyers—they are public servants with a lifelong record of upholding the rule of law and protecting democratic institutions. Their involvement would be a valuable contribution to ensuring that the proceedings are fair, principled, and rooted in the public interest," he added.

Romualdez said forming the best prosecution team, which includes opposition figures, is a matter of public duty.

"This is not about targeting individuals. This is about fulfilling our constitutional duty with integrity. The House is committed to presenting a case based solely on facts, evidence, and the rule of law," he said.

"The Senate, as the impeachment court, deserves to hear a case presented with competence and credibility. The participation of figures like De Lima and Diokno will help ensure that," he added. — VDV/RF, GMA Integrated News