In an effort to streamline proceedings and reach a timely verdict, the House prosecution panel is weighing the possibility of skipping one of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, public prosecutor and Manila Representative Joel Chua confirmed on Wednesday.
The panel is currently discussing whether to bypass the bribery charges, alleging improper cash distributions to Department of Education officials and proceed directly to the article on unexplained wealth once presentations on confidential funds conclude.
Chua explained that while discussions remain ongoing, prosecutors are confident in the strength of the evidence already presented under Article I, which focuses on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds across the Office of the Vice President and DepEd, and Article IV, which covers alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
However, Chua emphasized that the article addressing unexplained wealth cannot be dropped, noting that public interest in the charge remains high, particularly regarding financial records provided by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
By bypassing the bribery allegations, prosecutors aim to conclude their overall presentation of evidence by mid-October.This adjusted timetable would allow the defense team to present its witnesses through November, clearing a path for the Senate impeachment court to render a final verdict before year-end.
The prosecution team expects to conclude its presentation of witnesses under the confidential funds article by next week following testimony from representatives of the Philippine Statistics Authority and former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.