House prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan on the 12th day of VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial.
Prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan on Wednesday downplayed praise for her performance in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying confidence in the courtroom came from preparation rather than experience alone.
Speaking after the 13th day of the proceedings, Kapunan rejected descriptions of her presentation as a “masterclass” despite having practiced law for nearly five decades.
“It is not a masterclass. It’s just that we have been doing this for a while. It is experience,” Kapunan said. “But again, I will always say, even with 48 years of experience, there is no substitute for preparation.”
She said the prosecution carefully studied how to present its evidence, particularly because the case involved thousands of documents.
“This is not stock knowledge. We do not play by ear. We study and evaluate how we can present the evidence, especially with voluminous documents,” she said.
Kapunan also stressed the importance of reading the courtroom and knowing when an argument was losing the attention of judges and lawyers.
“If I am there in the audience and I get bored, that means I’m not doing it right,” she said, adding that counsel should “change gears” when members of the court appeared distracted.
She said effective litigation also required knowing when to shorten a presentation or stop altogether, especially when lengthy arguments could delay the proceedings.
Kapunan cited the prosecution panel’s familiarity with court rules as another source of confidence, noting that its members relied on repeated study rather than improvisation.
Her courtroom exchanges have also drawn attention for their humor, including remarks about unusual names appearing on acknowledgment receipts and a joke about avoiding two full days of document review so she could watch The Odyssey.
