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Lawyers Lorna Kapunan, left, and Kristine Ferrer, who are part of the prosecution and defense panels, respectively, in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate. Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

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Lorna Kapunan, Kristine Ferrer describe viral impeachment bout as ‘tough, motherly love’

Katrina Domingo

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/1786946479171Image.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Lawyers Lorna Kapunan, left, and Kristine Ferrer, who are part of the prosecution and defense panels, respectively, in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate.<em> Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — After a heated exchange on the Senate impeachment court last week, opposing counsels Lorna Kapunan and Kristine Ferrer exchanged pleasantries and jests in a chance encounter on Monday.</p><p>After hugging on the Senate floor before the 16th day of trial began, the prosecution’s Kapunan and the defense’s Ferrer immediately greeted each other as they coincidentally met at the lavatory during lunch break.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2089224109716865451&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-08-17T06%3A13%3A33.626575%3A44f83a59-6058-48ae-8d03-ea14bf4f829f%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=a23fda7b01b108de0cf807d09bfeeff36fa3b1e5&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2089224109716865451"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>The two legal counsels laughed when asked about their temperaments toward each other.</p><p>“Wala! Sobrang love ko ‘to!” Ferrer exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around Kapunan’s shoulder.</p><p>“What we do inside the court, we leave it there. Outside, we’re friends. She’s like a mother to me,” she said.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/who-is-atty-kristine-ferrer-of-vp-duterte-s-defense-team-1658"><strong>READ: Who is Atty. Kristine Ferrer of VP Duterte’s defense team?<br/></strong></a></div><p>The veteran litigator interjected: “Buti hindi mo sinabing grandmother!”</p><p>Kapunan — a decades-old litigator — clarified that she was acquainted with the younger Ferrer’s mother.</p><p>“Motherly love yun. Ikaw naman, tough love… Basta ang bagyo ngayon, sa labas [ng court],” she said.</p><p>The two lawyers made headlines last week after Kapunan said that she wanted to lecture and spank the younger Ferrer after a heated exchange over the cross examination of a state auditor and Vice President Sara Duterte’s liquidation reports.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/tension-giggles-in-senate-court-as-counsels-spar-in-cross-1341"><strong>READ: Tension, giggles in Senate court as defense, prosecution counsels spar in cross-examination<br/></strong></a></div><p>Ferrer made a manifestation asking the presiding officer to remind the prosecution panel to accord respect to the defense.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1dRCKrpgWg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>After a heated exchange on the Senate impeachment court last week, opposing counsels Lorna Kapunan and Kristine Ferrer exchanged pleasantries and jests in a chance encounter on Monday.</p>

After a heated exchange on the Senate impeachment court last week, opposing counsels Lorna Kapunan and Kristine Ferrer exchanged pleasantries and jests in a chance encounter on Monday.