Is defense lawyer Sheila Sison the daughter of lawyer Jose Sison? Here's what we found so far

Social media posts claiming that Vice President Sara Duterte's defense lawyer, Atty. Sheila Sison, is the daughter of veteran lawyer Jose Sison have circulated online following her appearance before the Senate impeachment court.

A review by GMA News Online of publicly available records has so far found no evidence to support the claim.

In a newspaper column published in February 2024, Jose Sison wrote about his family, recalling his marriage to his wife, Josefina "Josie" Sampedro-Sison, and naming their six children: Joyce, who had already passed away, Jopet, Joel, Jay, Jolly, and Jaybee.

Sheila Sison was not among those identified as his children.

Beyond sharing the same surname and being members of the legal profession, GMA News Online found no publicly available records establishing a father-daughter relationship between Sheila Sison and Jose Sison.

Atty. Jose Sison is one of the Philippines' most recognizable lawyers, having built a reputation not only through his legal practice but also through decades of television appearances as host of the legal drama anthology Ipaglaban Mo!, where he explained the legal principles behind dramatized cases based on real-life disputes.

His calm, authoritative delivery and signature closing line—"Kapag may katuwiran, ipaglaban mo!"—became familiar to millions of viewers.

Beyond television, Sison established a successful legal practice that handled civil, criminal, labor, family, and corporate cases. He also became widely known through newspaper columns, radio and television guest appearances, and free legal consultations, helping explain legal issues in plain language.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Office of the Vice President's defense team and from Atty. Jopet Sison, the son of Jose Sison, regarding the circulating claim, but had yet to receive a response as of posting time. —MCG, GMA News