A UST Legal Management alumnus has been named prosecution panel spokesman and private prosecutor for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is set to begin on July 6.
Lawyer Benjamin Tolosa, Jr. is tasked to help simplify complex legal concepts during the impeachment proceedings against the country’s second-highest official.
He will join lawmakers, including three Thomasian alumni, who will present the articles of impeachment before senators sitting as judges.
Tolosa is a founding and managing partner of Tolosa Javier Lim & Chua Law Firm. He oversees the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice.
Tolosa earned his bachelor’s degree in Legal Management from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters in 2003 and his law degree from the UST Faculty of Civil Law in 2008, ranking seventh in his class. He passed the bar examination in 2009.
Before establishing his law firm, Tolosa served as a senior associate at the litigation and dispute resolution department of Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz (ACCRA) Law Offices. He was also part of the legal team of US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was found guilty of homicide over the killing of Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in 2014.
Tolosa also served as general counsel and assistant vice president of the Primer Group of Companies and counsel for PMFTC Inc., an affiliate of Philip Morris International.
Thomasians in prosecution team
Alongside Tolosa, three Thomasian alumni will join the House prosecution panel in the impeachment proceedings.
Manila third district Rep. Joel Chua obtained his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from UST’s former College of Commerce and Accountancy, now the Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy. He is the chairman of the House good government and public accountability committees, which led inquiries into Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
Iloilo third district Rep. Lorenz Defensor earned his law degree from the UST Faculty of Civil Law in 2004.
Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, the first nominee of the 1-Rider party-list, attended secondary school at UST Legazpi.
The 11-member House prosecution team is led by Batangas second district Rep. Gerville “Jinky” Luistro, chair of the House justice committee.
The impeachment articles against Duterte stemmed from allegations involving the misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Sr.
Duterte has denied the accusations and has claimed that the impeachment against her is politically motivated.
Under the Constitution, senators will sit as judges in the impeachment trial, with the Senate president serving as presiding officer.
A conviction requires the vote of at least two-thirds of all senators, or 16 of the 24 members of the chamber. If convicted, Duterte may be removed from office and disqualified from holding public office, a decision that could affect her political plans for the 2028 national elections.
The proceedings mark the second impeachment attempt against Duterte after the Supreme Court nullified the 2025 case for violating the one-year bar rule, which prohibits more than one impeachment process against the same official within a one-year period. F
