MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution panel has finalized its decision to drop the bribery charge against Vice President Sara Duterte, notifying the Senate impeachment court that it would no longer pursue the charge.
House prosecutor and Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores confirmed Friday that the panel had filed a manifestation informing the court of its decision.
“We filed our manifestation last Tuesday that we would be dropping the bribery charge,” Flores said.
The charge, under Article III of the impeachment complaint, alleges that Duterte bribed Department of Education officials to influence procurement decisions while she was Education secretary.
Flores said the prosecution would complete its presentation under Article II, which concerns alleged unexplained wealth, before resting its case without pursuing the bribery allegations.
He said the panel believed it had presented sufficient evidence on the three other impeachment articles and wanted to avoid unnecessarily prolonging the trial.
The prosecution has also presented evidence on Article I, involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, and Article IV, concerning Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez during a November 2024 livestream.
House prosecutor and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said dropping one article would not affect the standing of the others.
“All the articles of impeachment that were filed stand on their own,” Gutierrez said.
