Rowegie Abanto

Tensions, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross examination

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786508342799composites 2 (1) (21).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Tensions, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross examination. Screenshots from Senate livestream"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Tensions, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross examination. <em>Screenshots from Senate livestream</em></span></span></span>MANILA<strong> (2nd UPDATE) </strong>— Tensions and laughter erupted in the Senate court Wednesday as lawyers for defense and prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte sparred during cross examination concerning the alleged misuse of confidential funds.</div><p>Defense lawyer Kristine Ferrer, also an accountant, was asking state auditor Xylene Mae Del Campo whether or not the Joint Circular No. 2015-01 — which governs the release, use, and audit of confidential and intelligence funds — limited the use of confidential funds only to apprehensions.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/-superman-receipts-show-duterte-former-sdo-visited-several-provinces-in-one-day-1541">‘Superman?’: Receipts show Duterte former SDO visited several provinces in one day to disburse confidential funds</a></div><p>Del Campo is an auditor with the Commission on Audit-Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office who examined Duterte&#x27;s confidential funds.</p><p>Del Campo tried to expound on her answer but Ferrer insisted that the auditor respond only with a &quot;yes&quot; or a &quot;no&quot;. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the panel of prosecutors, then pleaded to let Del Campo answer the question.</p><p>&quot;Can the counsel be instructed not to stop the witness at mid-sentence?&quot; said the 74-year-old Kapunan. </p><p>Ferrer doubled down, pointing out the prosecution has the opportunity to later ask clarificatory questions during redirect examination.</p><p>Kapunan said that not all questions could be answered by a yes or no, but Ferrer reminded the prosecution counsel that she was doing a cross examination.</p><p>Seemingly irked, Kapunan fired back, &quot;Never mind if you&#x27;re on cross, there are limits to cross-examination. Misleading questions are not allowed on cross.&quot;</p><p>&quot;They are allowed,&quot; Ferrer said.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think I need to lecture you [on] that,&quot; Kapunan continued.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;KEEP IT A NOTCH LOWER&#x27;</strong></div><p>Trial presiding officer Francis Escudero tried to defuse the tension by telling the lawyers not to allow the &quot;seeming generational divide increase the tension in the courtroom,&quot; adding, &quot;let&#x27;s keep it a notch lower.&quot; Escudero&#x27;s remark drew laughter from the court.</p><p>A side comment from Kapunan prompted more giggles from the court: &quot;Your Honor, please, I&#x27;m preventing myself from giving her a spanking, Your Honor. That&#x27;s what I would have done in the generational divide, Your Honor.&quot; </p><p>Escudero issued another reminder to the counsels that they are members of the bar and that they should treat and look at each other &quot;equally.&quot; Kapunan thereafter vowed to &quot;behave.&quot;</p><p>Ferrer, the defense lawyer, said that she has &quot;high respect&quot; for Kapunan: &quot;In fact, she&#x27;s one of my idols.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Let&#x27;s end here,&quot; said Kapunan. &quot;It might sound like a eulogy. Your Honor I&#x27;m still very much alive,&quot; she added, which again drew laughter from participants in the court.</p><p>&quot;Your Honor kahapon nga hindi ko siya kinukulit di ba?&quot; Ferrer said, referring to Kapunan. &quot;Kahit may mga questions na dun na leading, hindi naman allowed &#x27;yun sa direct examination, I respected her.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;PROOF OF SUCCESS&#x27;</strong></div><p>During Escudero&#x27;s subsequent questioning, Del Campo was asked whether the joint circular states that apprehensions are required following the payment of reward or payment for information.</p><p>Del Campo said the circular only states that proof of success of the information gathering or surveillance activity is required.</p><p>Asked whether it was only her interpretation of the circular that proof of apprehension is needed to deem the operation successful, Del Campo said, &quot;Based po iyon sa aking professional judgement,&quot; adding that the evaluation of Office of the Vice President documents was guided by the joint circular.</p><p>On Tuesday, Del Campo testified that one of the reasons for the issuance of a Notice of Disallowance for the P375 million in confidential expenses was that millions of pesos of rewards were unsupported by documents.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/witness-duterte-s-alleged-release-of-confidential-funds-to-security-chief-violated-rules-1600">Witness: Duterte&#x27;s alleged release of confidential funds to security chief violated rules</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NO SIDE COMMENTS&#x27;</strong></div><p>After lunch break, Ferrer asked the court not to allow side comments like the ones issued by Kapunan. </p><p>The defense lawyer noted that such remarks have no place in the courtroom and that respect for fellow members of the bar regardless of experience should always be observed.</p><p>&quot;We should learn to respect each other and refrain from making side comments — and that was captured by the media,&quot; said Ferrer.</p><p>Escudero said that Kapunan had already withdrawn her comments, and the prosecution lawyer noted that she had promised to act correctly.</p><p>In an interview with reporters, Kapunan said her remarks were only &quot;figurative,&quot; adding, &quot;Alangan namang pupunta pa ako doon tapos bubugbugin ko. Hindi naman.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I think the call of the presiding officer is to call for patience from my part. Tama naman siya na there is a generational gap,&quot; she said.</p><p>Kapunan has been a practicing law for 48 years and has won multiple landmark cases.</p><p>Ferrer, a partner at Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar Law, was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2011 after earning her law degree from the Ateneo de Davao University.</p><div><strong>—With a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O2ZJkT7JK90?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Tensions and laughter erupted in the Senate court Wednesday as lawyers for defense and prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte sparred during cross examination concerning the alleged misuse of confidential funds.</p>

Tensions and laughter erupted in the Senate court Wednesday as lawyers for defense and prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte sparred during cross examination concerning the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

'I'm still very much alive': Tension, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross examination

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'I'm still very much alive': Tension, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross examination

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 12, 2026 01:41 PM PHT

|

Updated August 12, 2026 03:25 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Impeachment Trial

Senate Trial

Sara Duterte Trial

Senate

Impeachment

Xylene Mae Del Campo

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