THE House prosecution panel over the weekend said withdrawing three impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte could save taxpayers’ money by shortening the Senate trial, rejecting accusations that the move had wasted millions of pesos in public funds.
House prosecutorand Manila Rep. Joel Chua said concentrating on Article II involving alleged unexplained wealth could reduce the length of the proceedings and the expenses associated with the trial.
“Ako po naniniwala na in fact mas makakatipid pa nga dahil mas masho-shorten ’yung trial,” Chua said.
Chua was responding to criticism from Duterte’s camp that the prosecution had wasted public funds by withdrawing three of the four impeachment articles after presenting evidence.
The House prosecution withdrew Article I on alleged misuse of confidential funds, Article III on bribery and Article IV on grave threats, leaving Article II as the sole remaining charge.
Chua said the decision would allow the Senate impeachment court to focus on the unexplained wealth allegations instead of prolonging the proceedings with additional articles.
He also rejected suggestions that the evidence presented on the withdrawn charges had gone to waste, noting that much of the information had already been examined during congressional investigations.
“Ito naman pong ipinresenta namin ay nakita na rin po ng mga kababayan natin nung ito po ay dinulog sa Committee on Good Government at sa Committee on Justice,” he said.
Chua maintained that the impeachment proceedings were necessary to determine whether Duterte should remain in public office, regardless of the expenses involved.
“Ito po kasing impeachment, wala naman po dito nakakapanghinayang dahil ito po ay test of fitness ng isang pangalawang pangulo,” he said.
He also questioned why Duterte’s camp was criticizing the cost of the trial while allegations involving P612.5 million in confidential funds remained unresolved.
“Ngayon po nanghihinayang sila doon sa nagastos sa trial. Pero doon sa 612 million [pesos] na nawawala, hindi po sila nanghihinayang,” Chua said.
The P612.5 million refers to confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education that came under scrutiny during congressional investigations. The amount has not been established as missing or stolen.
The confidential funds allegations are now subject to separate evaluation by the Office of the Ombudsman, while a grave threats case is pending before a Quezon City court.
The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to resume proceedings on Nov. 9, when the defense is expected to begin presenting evidence on Article II.
Chua expressed hope that the trial could conclude by the end of November or the first week of December.