MANILA, Philippines — There are “serious inclinations” that Article III, or the bribery case in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, may be dropped although the House prosecution team is not yet “manifesting it formally before the impeachment court”, lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro said on Monday.
The case is anchored on the testimony of former Department of Education (DepEd) officials who claimed they received cash envelopes through Duterte to entice them to circumvent procurement rules during her tenure as head of the agency.
“I wish to confirm what the other members of the prosecutor said, that there are serious inclinations. But the fact that we are not yet manifesting it formally before the impeachment board only means the prosecution is not yet ready to officially withdraw this article,” Luistro said in a post-trial press conference.
Two other prosecutors, Manila 2nd Distric Rep. Joel Chua and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, earlier stated that the panel is likely not anymore pursuing Article III.
Luistro, however, noted that nothing is still set in stone.
“There are considerations being addressed, and this is what we meant when we said that even though there are discussions—and even serious inclinations—towards withdrawing Article 3, it does not become official until it is formally stated before the impeachment court,” the lawmaker said in Filipino and English.
Malacañang earlier questioned whether abandoning the bribery allegation would deprive the public of knowing the truth.
Luistro maintained that the panel “remains committed to completing its case without unnecessary delay” and “are confident in the evidence we have laid out and continue to present before the Senate impeachment court.”
