MANILA — The House prosecution team composed of 11 lawmakers said Vice President Sara Duterte has failed to substantially answer the impeachment charges against her, arguing that her submitted response does not directly engage with the factual allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment.
In a manifestation filed on Monday, the prosecutors said Duterte’s answer does not raise any material factual issue that would require a formal reply. Instead, they said it largely relies on procedural arguments and constitutional objections questioning the validity and continuation of the impeachment proceedings.
The panel further noted that the impeachment case is based on four Articles, which outline alleged misconduct involving misuse of public resources, abuse of authority, and other violations of constitutional accountability standards expected from a high-ranking public official.
According to the prosecution, Duterte issued broad denials across all four articles but failed to provide detailed factual counter-arguments that would directly address each allegation point-by-point.
They added that the defense filing does not contain a structured narrative disputing the accusations, but instead shifts focus toward legal challenges on jurisdiction and procedure. Because of this, the prosecutors maintained that the answer does not meaningfully contest the substance of the impeachment complaint.
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