THE House impeachment prosecution panel is considering the dropping of the bribery charge against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as her impeachment trial before the Senate Impeachment Court continues, but prosecutors emphasized that a conviction on even one Article of Impeachment would already be sufficient to trigger the penalties imposed by the tribunal, including removal from office and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
Prosecutors said the possible withdrawal of Article III, which involves allegations of bribery, is part of efforts to shorten the proceedings and focus on the remaining Articles of Impeachment.
However, they stressed that each of the four articles stands independently and that the remaining charges would continue even if one article were removed.
House prosecution counsel Benjamin Tolosa Jr. explained that the prosecution does not need to prove all allegations for a conviction to occur.
‘We have four Articles of impeachment, but it only takes a finding of guilt on one article for the penalty of removal from office and perpetual disqualification to take effect,’ Tolosa said.
He added that the prosecution does not need to secure a conviction on all articles for the Senate to impose the constitutional penalties.
The possible withdrawal involves Article III, which accuses Duterte of alleged bribery involving monetary gifts or payments to Department of Education officials during her tenure as Education secretary. Prosecutors said no final decision has been reached as they continue reviewing their evidence and trial strategy.
The impeachment complaint against Duterte contains four separate allegations. Article I involves the alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. Article II concerns allegations of unexplained wealth and incomplete financial disclosures, while Article IV involves alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The prosecution is currently completing its presentation on Article I, which focuses on the confidential fund allegations. The House lead prosecutor, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, said the panel was targeting September 9 to finish presenting evidence related to the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The confidential fund allegations involve P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million allocated to the Department of Education while Duterte served as Education secretary. Prosecutors are examining how the funds were released, handled, and liquidated.
Several witnesses have already appeared before the Senate Impeachment Court, including government officials, auditors, and military personnel. Former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta testified that she transferred four P125-million confidential fund tranches to then-security chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon Duterte’s instruction.
The prosecution is also preparing to present evidence under Article II involving allegations of unexplained wealth.
The House prosecution spokesperson, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia-ur Rahman Alonto Adiong said the panel has sufficient documents and materials to support its claims but declined to disclose details before they are formally presented in court.
Another issue being discussed in the trial is the Senate voting requirement for conviction. The Constitution requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all Senate members for an impeachment conviction, traditionally interpreted as 16 votes in a 24-member chamber.