THE impeachment court reprimanded the House prosecution panel on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, over its repeated use of inappropriate language during proceedings.
An exchange ensued toward the end of the direct examination of witness Lemuel Ortonio, assistant secretary and assistant chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Private prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia questioned Ortonio regarding the OVP's confidential funds from 2022 to 2023.
Divinagracia asked Ortonio about the various reasons cited by the OVP to justify requesting and using confidential funds, including good governance programs, surveillance to prevent untoward incidents during official engagements, functional representation at domestic and international events, and surveillance to identify project implementation areas.
“This whole confidential funds matter ang arkitekto at mastermind nito ay si VP Sara Duterte?” she said.
Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected to Divinagracia's question and requested the court to strike the statement from the record.
Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero sustained the objection.
“I will have to strike it off counsel. Kindly replace it with words that are more acceptable,” Escudero said.
Divinagracia pressed on with her line of questioning, asking, “Will you agree with me na kapag paiba-iba ang rason, maaring nagsisinungaling lang, or ito ay isa lamang scam?”
Ferrer objected once more, and Escudero sustained the objection.
Under questioning from Escudero, Ortonio confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte personally authorized all matters concerning the OVP's confidential funds, from the initial request to implementation and liquidation.
Before the hearing was suspended, Ferrer urged the court to remind the prosecution to avoid loaded terms such as “scam,” “mastermind,” and “lying.”
“This is the third time your honor that we have heard those words specifically the word scam and this is a solemn proceeding; this is a court of law; this is a court of procedure and a court of decorum. We are not supposed to make insinuations accusations or conclusions your honor,” she said.
“I agree with counsel. Earlier, the court made an admonishing to the counsel for prosecutors but did not strike out similar statements. That is becoming a habit for the panel of prosecutors to close their direct with such strong statements,” Escudero responded.
Divinagracia apologized on behalf of the prosecution panel, explaining that counsel sometimes gets “carried away” by passion.
“But we in the prosecution, we just want to call a spade a spade,” she said.
Earlier in the trial, House prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan and Amando Ligutan also referred to the use of confidential funds at both the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte’s leadership as a “scam.” (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)