MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution panel is considering dropping the bribery allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte and proceeding with the unexplained wealth article to shorten the Senate impeachment trial, lead public prosecutor Gerville Luistro said Thursday.
Luistro said the panel is weighing whether to skip Article 3, which accuses Duterte of bribing Department of Education (DepEd) procurement officials, and proceed to Article 2, which alleges that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, accumulated unexplained wealth.
Luistro said the panel has not made a final decision. She said prosecutors are considering the change to avoid extending the trial and to give the Senate impeachment court more time to handle other responsibilities.
“We do not want to drag this impeachment trial too much,” Luistro told reporters after a House hearing, citing the impact of the proceedings on Filipinos and the Senate’s other duties.
The proposal comes as the Senate impeachment court adjusts its trial calendar. Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said the court would hold hearings from 10 a.m. until early evening on Oct. 1 and 2, Oct. 5 to 9, and Oct. 12 to 15.
The court would then suspend impeachment hearings from Oct. 16 to Nov. 8 to accommodate intensive budget deliberations. Hearings would resume on Nov. 9 and 16 before returning to the regular schedule on Nov. 23.
Luistro said the possible withdrawal of Article 3 does not reflect a lack of confidence in the bribery allegations.
“I’m not saying that it is the weakest,” Luistro said.
She said prosecutors remain confident in all the impeachment articles but noted that Article 3, like Article 1, centers on alleged irregularities involving DepEd.
“All of them are strong,” Luistro said. “But we have this confidential fund already pertaining to both the OVP and DepEd. Perhaps we focus on something else.”
That focus could shift to Article 2, which alleges that Duterte and Carpio failed to properly declare unexplained wealth in Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, or SALNs.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, another public prosecutor, confirmed Wednesday that the panel was considering dropping Article 3. He later said the bribery case remains strong and that prosecutors are considering its withdrawal primarily to expedite the trial.
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, who leads the prosecution team for Article 2, said his group is preparing to present its case if the panel drops Article 3.
Ridon said the team could begin presenting evidence as early as mid-September.
The prosecution has received subpoenaed bank information involving Duterte, Carpio and 19 businesses, along with tax records covering the couple and their companies. Ridon said prosecutors will use the documents to examine Duterte’s declared assets, liabilities and net worth.
Ridon has cited Duterte’s rising declared net worth as part of the prosecution’s case. Her net worth increased from P18.49 million in her 2008 SALN to P77.50 million in 2023 and P88.51 million in 2024, according to figures he presented.
Using Duterte’s 2007 SALN as a baseline, Ridon said her declared net worth rose from P7.2 million to P88.51 million in 2024.
Ridon also said prosecutors identified covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte and Carpio totaling P6.7 billion, including P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion in outflows.
Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura separately testified during a House justice committee hearing in April that accounts linked to Duterte and her husband had generated covered and suspicious transaction reports totaling P6.77 billion from 2006 to 2025.
The reports included 630 covered transaction reports and 33 suspicious transaction reports involving the accounts.
The prosecution has completed its presentation for Article 4, which accuses Duterte of betraying public trust through alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The panel also expects to finish presenting Article 1, which involves the alleged misuse of confidential funds, on Sept. 9.
Ten witnesses have testified for Article 1, including Land Bank of the Philippines officials, state auditors, former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and two Philippine Army officials.
Former Education Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Michael Poa, a member of Duterte’s defense panel, testified as the prosecution’s latest witness Wednesday.
Chua said prosecutors could use a strategy similar to the one used during the 2012 impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, when prosecutors dropped an article to concentrate on the remaining charges.
For now, Article 3 remains part of the articles of impeachment while the House prosecution panel considers whether to withdraw it.