The leading legal firm in the nation will be representing Vice President Sara Duterte during her impeachment trial in the Senate.
Lawyers from Fortun Narvasa & Salazar They officially made their entrance as her defense team before the Senate, which was functioning as an impeachment court, on Monday.
One of those supporting Duterte is seasoned attorney Sigfried Fortun, who was part of the legal team representing ex-President Joseph Estrada during his impeachment proceedings from December 2000 to January 2001, as mentioned by Maki Pulido in her coverage on "24 Oras" on Tuesday.
Fortun also took up the defense of Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson in the Kuratong Baleleng case and dedicated almost half a decade representing Andal Ampatuan Sr., his son Andal Jr., along with 22 additional accused individuals in the trial. Maguindanao massacre case .
Regarded as the most devastating one-day incident tied to an election in Philippine history, the Maguindanao massacre on November 23, 2009 resulted in the deaths of 58 individuals. Among those killed were 32 journalists who accompanied Esmael Mangudadatu’s representatives during their trip to submit his certificate of candidacy for the 2010 gubernatorial race against Andal Jr.
Rody Duterte’s legal team consists of 16 members, which features ex-spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President, Michael Poa, along with Gregorio Narvasa II, whose father is the deceased former Chief Justice Andrés Narvasa. Notably, the senior Narasa was part of Joseph Ejércida Estrada's defense group during his impeachment proceedings.
On February 5th, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte after more than 200 legislators supported the accusation against her. The charges included betraying public trust, violating the constitution, engaging in graft and corruption, along with committing various serious offenses.
On June 10, the impeachment court cast votes of 18-5 to send Duterte’s case back to the House without either dismissing or concluding it.
The court requested the House to confirm that they have adhered to the rule of allowing only one impeachment complaint per year. Additionally, it was stated that the House must communicate officially with the Senate expressing their readiness to proceed with the impeachment trial. VBL, GMA Integrated News
This article Sigfrid Fortun heads the defense team for VP Sara's impeachment trial. was originally published in GMA News Online .