House prosecution members and leaders have rejected assertions from Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s legal team claiming that the trial faces a potential mistrial or that her conviction would violate the Constitution following the prosecution’s decision to narrow its case.
House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua dismissed warnings of a possible mistrial as misleading, emphasizing that Duterte was granted ample opportunity to address the allegations dating back to 2024.
“Mistrial? Misleading po ’yan,” Chua said during a media forum.
“Ang sinasabi po nilang mistrial, eh wala po akong nakikitang mistrial, dahil unang-una po matagal na po silang pinapasagot,” Chua added.
“As early as 2024, pinasasagot na po sila. Pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin po sila sumasagot,” Chua also said.
The prosecution withdrew Article I on alleged misuse of confidential funds, Article III on bribery, and Article IV on grave threats, choosing to concentrate solely on Article II regarding alleged unexplained wealth, questionable Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), and prohibited business interests.
Chua pointed out that Duterte’s camp had prior opportunities to clarify expenditures during the Commission on Audit’s (COA) review of her confidential funds.
“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 with finality the notice of disallowance covering P73.287 million in confidential expenditures incurred by the Office of the Vice President in 2022.
In a separate statement, Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. strongly refuted claims from lawyers Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. and former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo that a conviction would lack constitutional or evidentiary grounding.
“The statement of Atty. Paolo Panelo saying that if the vice president will be convicted, that it will not be according to the Constitution, smacks of lies and deceit to the Filipino people because voluminous evidence has been revealed by the prosecution team, especially the unexplained wealth. It’s not an if, but it is a surety, according to the constitution that VP Sara will be convicted,” Abante said.
Abante responded to defense objections regarding the Senate impeachment court’s September ruling, which allowed the required two-thirds vote for conviction to be computed based on senator-judges legally and factually capable of participating rather than the full 24-member body.
He also countered the elder Panelo’s assertion that a conviction would occur without supporting evidence.
“Her conviction is a foregone conclusion. To say even the statement of Mr. Salvador Panelo that her conviction will be without evidence, he has been present in the impeachment court, I’m sure if he’s an objective lawyer without bias, he will believe that the VP should be convicted!” Abante said.
House lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro explained that focusing on Article II followed the presentation of detailed financial records and expert testimony showing culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
Key evidence presented included testimony from forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera, who identified roughly P817.87 million in allegedly unexplained wealth tied to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, between 2022 and 2025, an amount that could reach P1.5 billion under broader evaluation criteria.
“There’s no doubt about that!! My being a non-lawyer like the majority of the people has fully convinced me!” Abante noted.
Cabrera’s testimony incorporated records provided by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Securities and Exchange Commission, and various banking institutions detailing variances in declared assets and reported income.
Duterte’s defense team continues to contest the findings, arguing that financial transactions do not prove illegal acquisition, while the younger Panelo asserted that dropping three articles denied the Vice President a chance to clear her name in court on those charges.
Abante insisted that the public understands the gravity of the financial disclosures.
“Without pretensions! Take away the politics and personality; just accountability and integrity,” Abante said.
The Senate impeachment court accepted the withdrawal of the three articles on Oct. 13 and is scheduled to resume trial proceedings on Nov. 9, when Duterte’s defense team will begin presenting its case.