By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — House prosecutors are dropping the bribery allegation against Vice President Sara Duterte as they move to streamline her impeachment trial and concentrate on what they consider the stronger remaining charges.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution will formally inform the Senate impeachment court of its decision to abandon Article III, which accused Duterte of bribing Department of Education officials to circumvent procurement rules during her tenure as education secretary.
Prosecutors said the move was intended to shorten proceedings and was not an acknowledgment that the bribery allegation lacked evidence.
The charge had been anchored on testimony from former DepEd officials who said they received cash through people working under Duterte. One witness recalled receiving P50,000 a month for nine months, while another testified about receiving between P12,000 and P15,000 over several months.
The prosecution will instead focus on allegations involving threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, and questions surrounding Duterte’s wealth.
Malacañang said abandoning the bribery allegation could deprive Filipinos of a full examination of the accusations.
Prosecutors, however, said they intend to complete their remaining evidence presentation by mid-October.
The next phase is expected to center heavily on financial records, with officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, banks, insurance firms and the Bureau of Internal Revenue expected to provide testimony and authenticate documents linked to the unexplained-wealth allegation.
ia/xf
