Vice President Sarah Duterte he will surely face the Senate charges in court this time.
When he escaped trial in 2025 after the Supreme Court (SC) he announced complaint against him as unconstitutional, Duterte was charged again by the House of Representatives last May.
He became the first Philippine public official to be impeached twice by the lower house of parliament due to his alleged threats to the President. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, misuse of cryptocurrencies, and untold wealth.
Although he again filed a petition with the SC to stay his 2026 charges, the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order.
In June, a pre-trial conference in the Senate was held for five days, and culminated on June 25. This cleared the way for a trial scheduled for Monday, July 6.
Similar to 2025, Duterte will be defended by a group of lawyers who are mostly from the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar (FNS) law firm. His team is led by prosecutor Sheila Sison.
Here is the full list of the Vice President’s security team.
Philip Sigfrid Fortune
Philip Sigfrid Fortune is a founding partner of Fortun Narvasa and Salazar – the firm that handled Duterte’s impeachment plea. He was admitted to the Bar in 1984.
He attended the University of the Philippines (UP) from high school to law school. He earned his law degree from a state university in 1983 and passed the Bar a year later. Before starting his own firm in 1993, Fortun worked as a partner at a major law firm in the country for nearly a decade.
His legal experience covers criminal and civil litigation, arbitration, and even prosecution. Fortun is also involved with uniformed personnel – he is a trained volunteer firefighter of the Bureau of Fire Protection and shares a bond with the Philippine Military Academy’s Sandigan Class of 1982.
The Fortun Company handled major cases, including the Ampatuan case, but later withdrew because of “potential conflict.” The firm served as the lawyers of the Ampatuans who were accused of killing the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.
In the midst of Ampatuan’s case, Fortun filed an indirect contempt case against Filipino journalists for reporting on his dismissal case. Supreme Court has been deleted journalists due to the case in 2013, but they fined the lawyer who allegedly distributed a copy of the dismissal case to the media.
Fortune too be advised A strong organization, a cigarette company who was with former president Rodrigo Duterte to order an arrest in 2017 for allegedly using fake tax stamps.
Gregory Narvasa II
Like Fortune, Gregory Narvasa II is the founding partner of the company. Narvasa earned his degree in business administration from Ateneo de Manila University, then ranked 8th in the UP law class of 1985. He passed the Bar in 1986.
Gregorio Narvasa is the son of the late chief justice Andres Narvasawho represented former president Joseph Estrada in his removal in 2000.
Before his law career, Narvasa played basketball for Ateneo. He was a member of Ateneo’s varsity basketball team and won the Most Valuable Player award during the 1975-1976 National Collegiate Athletic Association season. He was also a member of the country’s national basketball team that represented the Philippines in sports within the ASEAN region.
Narvasa is still active in basketball. He served as commissioner of the Philippine Basketball League from 1992 to 1994, and then as commissioner of the Metroball Association from 2000 to 2001.
Duterte’s lawyer served as a trustee of the Ateneo, Inc. Sports Hall of Fame. in 2004, and became its president from 2011 until now.
Sheila Sison (lead attorney)
Sheila Sison is a partner in the law firm of Fortun Narvasa & Salazar. He earned his degree in communication arts from UP Los Baños (UPLB) and his law degree from the College of San Sebastian Recoletos, where he graduated as valedictorian. The Vice President, like Sison, is also a product of the San Sebastian law school.
Sison was admitted to the Bar in 2014. A product of Quezon City Science High School, Sison later entered UPLB where she led certain organizations such as the UP Sigma Alpha Nu Sorority. He was also a debater and writer – he was part of the editorial board of the university paper during his undergraduate years.
In law school, he was a consummate academic and was a solid dean’s lister. He was also a recipient of the Academic Excellence Medal by the Recoletos Educational Mission of the Philippines, according to his law firm profile. Sison specializes in criminal cases and has handled Sandiganbayan cases.
According to FNS, Sison “currently holds the record for being selected as the Firm’s Lawyer of the Year for five consecutive years from 2015 to 2019 – a milestone that demonstrates his commitment to excellence.”
Christine Ferrer
Christine Ferrerwho is also a certified public accountant, is a partner in the FNS law firm. With 15 years of experience, he has handled cases in corporate law, taxation and litigation.
He started his career at Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co. When he joined his current company, he was named head of taxation. Ferrer has handled cases before the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Court of Tax Appeals.
According to his biography, he led the team that handled the P25 billion tax settlement case between Mighty Corporation and the BIR.
He is a graduate of the Ateneo de Davao University College of Law. At the university, he taught tax law, special cases, and accounting.
Carlo Joaquin Narvasa
Carlo Joaquin Narvasa is a senior partner in a law firm. He was admitted to the Bar in 2016.
He received his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo School of Law and is an AB English Literature graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).
Before joining Fortun Narvasa & Salazar, he was a junior partner there Law Office of Paredes Garcia & Golez.
Narvasa currently serves as the lead prosecutor in the firm’s major arbitration and dispute resolution cases. He also specializes in corporate, business, mining and natural resources.
Justin Nicol Gular
Justin Nicol Gular he is also a senior partner in the company. He was admitted to the Bar in 2022.
He earned his Juris Doctor and Psychology degrees from the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City. He was also a three-time champion of ANC Square Offs: The Firm Debate.
Gular specializes in corporate and business, family and estates, labor, medical malpractice, projects, mining and natural resources, and dispute and dispute resolution.
David Ronell Golla VII
David Ronell Golla VII is a senior partner in a law firm.
He was awarded the second prize when he obtained his jurisprudence degree from Far Eastern University Makati. Golla also graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business administration, specializing in legal administration, at New Era University.
He specializes in corporate, business, family and estate, labor, litigation and dispute resolution, and environmental law.
Lindon Miguel Bacquel
Lindon Miguel Bacquel is a great partner. He was admitted to the Bar in 2022.
He completed his doctorate and bachelor’s degree at ADMU, majoring in legal administration and minoring in literature.
Before joining his current law firm, he served as an intern at the Office of the Public Prosecutor in Quezon City and the Ateneo Legal Services Center.
Bacquel specializes in litigation and dispute resolution, arbitration, and immigration.
Karol Grace Oroceo
Karol Grace Oroceo is a partner of the FNS law firm. He has a degree in fine arts, majoring in advertising from the University of San Carlos in Cebu.
He earned his law degree also from San Carlos in 2020, where he won the best thesis award. Oroceo is a native of Butuan City in Agusan del Norte.
Oroceo joined the firm in 2022, and handles cases related to corporate, administrative, criminal and civil law matters. He also has experience in tax law and special projects.
Claraine Radoc
Claraine Radoc is a partner in a law firm. He was admitted to the Bar in 2022.
His Juris Doctor and undergraduate degrees were from USC in Cebu City. He graduated cum laude with a degree in management accounting.
Radoc specializes in corporate and commercial practice, corporate restructuring, litigation and dispute resolution.
Francesca Marie Flores
Like others, Francesca Marie Flores He is also a partner at Forun Narvasa & Salazar Law. He was admitted to the bar in 2024.
He has a degree in English literature from Ateneo de Manila University, and earned his law degree from USC.
Flores specializes in corporate and commercial practice, corporate rehabilitation, family and estates, labor, litigation and dispute resolution.
Miguel Carlos Fernandez
Miguel Carlos Fernandez is a partner in that company. He was admitted to the Bar in 2025.
He is a graduate of the Ateneo School of Law, and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of the Philippines Diliman, cum laude.
Fernandez specializes in cases related to corporate and business practice, corporate rehabilitation, labor, litigation, dispute resolution, and taxation.
Michael Wesley Poa (spokesman)
Michael Wesley Cool served as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary, chief of staff, and spokesperson under the Vice President from 2022 to 2024.
He he resigned as DepEd undersecretary and spokesperson after then-senator Sonny Angara took the helm of the agency.
Before serving in DepEd, Poa served as the chief of staff of the Office of Trustees – Dr. Alejandro R. Roses, Mr. Gregorio T. Yu, and General Alan R. Luga – in the Government Service Insurance System for 12 years, from 2010 to 2022.
He specializes in criminal, civil and commercial litigation, taxation and special projects.
He earned his law degree at the University of the Philippines in 2018, graduating 9th in his batch. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar a year later. Poa also holds a bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts and Italian Studies from Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.
Mark Vinluan
Mark Vinluan was a partner at Fortun Narvasa & Salazar Law from 2013 to 2015.
He is currently a partner at Vinluan Law Office.
He received his law degree in 2013 from the Ateneo School of Law.
Ralph Bodota
Ralph Bodota he was also an attorney at the Office of Fortun Narvasa & Salazar. Apart from being a lawyer, he is also a Certified Public Accountant. He served as the audit team leader at the Commission on Audit (COA) from 2015 to 2021.
Currently, he is managing partner of Bodota & Batungbacal Law Office.
He received his law degree from the Arellano University School of Law.
Bodota specializes in criminal, civil, administrative and commercial cases, as well as business and family law.
Roberto Batungbacal
Robert Batungbacal, who was also listed as Duterte’s lawyer in the 2025 petition, was a senior partner in the law firm Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar. He earned both his degrees in managerial economics and law from the Ateneo. He was admitted to the Bar in 2019.
He is currently a partner in the Bodota & Batungbacal Law Office.
Before becoming a lawyer, Batungbacal was a swimmer in his teenage years until college. He was also a multi-medal member of the Philippine University Athletic Association. – Rappler.com
Editor’s Note: Biographies of some of the advocates were also published earlier in this 2025 piece: Are they the lawyers defending Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial??
