House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua has dismissed as misleading claims of a potential mistrial following the withdrawal of three impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, while also raising questions regarding a declared agricultural property featuring a mansion, two swimming pools, and a helipad.
“Mistrial? Misleading po ’yan,” Chua said during a media forum, maintaining that there is no valid ground for a mistrial because Duterte was provided multiple opportunities to address the charges dating back to 2024.
“Ang sinasabi po nilang mistrial, eh wala po akong nakikitang mistrial, dahil unang-una po matagal na po silang pinapasagot,” Chua said.
“As early as 2024, pinasasagot na po sila. Pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin po sila sumasagot,” Chua added.
Chua made the statements in response to warnings from Duterte’s defense team that withdrawing three articles could affect the legal validity of the impeachment process.
The House prosecution withdrew Article I concerning alleged misuse of confidential funds, Article III on bribery, and Article IV on grave threats, choosing to proceed exclusively with Article II regarding alleged unexplained wealth.
Chua pointed out that the Vice President had ample chance to resolve the issues prior to the Senate trial, specifically during the Commission on Audit’s (COA) review of confidential fund expenditures.
“Kung totoo naman na may ebidensya sila, eh sana unang-una ipinresenta na nila ito sa COA nang sa ganoon hindi sila nabigyan ng notice of disallowance. Pero bakit po naging final ang decision ng COA?” Chua said.
The COA recently affirmed the disallowance of P73.287 million in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President in 2022.
Chua stressed that narrowing the case to Article II neither erases earlier allegations nor invalidates evidence already submitted to the Senate impeachment court, which accepted the withdrawal and permitted the trial to continue.
In the same forum, Chua called for scrutiny over Duterte’s real property declarations after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented aerial images of a property declared as agricultural land that contains a mansion, a helipad, and two swimming pools.
“Hindi lang isang swimming pool ang nakita natin dito—dalawang swimming pool—tapos may helipad. Ang laking mansyon,” Chua said.
He questioned whether the agricultural classification in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) accurately represented the actual developments on the land. Pointing to an internal road captured in aerial photographs, Chua made a play on words regarding rural infrastructure.
“May farm-to-market, farm-to-mansion road,” Chua said.
Chua questioned the total expenditure on the structures and whether the improvements were properly reported in official disclosures.
“Hindi mo masasabi na agricultural lang,” Chua also said.
The NBI is conducting an independent investigation into real estate associated with Duterte and members of her family. NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that investigators cross-referenced SALN entries with field inspections to evaluate physical structures against reported assets.
Chua urged senator-judges to weigh the NBI’s findings as they evaluate Article II during the trial, which is set to resume on Nov. 9 when the defense begins presenting its case.