MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution team is considering dropping the bribery allegation against Vice President Sara Duterte as it looks for ways to shorten her impeachment trial—but prosecution counsel Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said removing one article would not necessarily prevent the Senate from convicting her.
Tolosa explained that the four impeachment articles against Duterte stand independently. In the prosecution’s view, the Senate impeachment court would not need to find Duterte guilty on every article for a conviction to be possible.
The remarks came as prosecutors continued reviewing whether to proceed with Article III, which accuses Duterte of bribery involving alleged monetary gifts or payments to Department of Education officials during her tenure as education secretary.
Bribery charge still under review
Despite growing discussion about dropping the bribery allegation, there is no final decision yet to withdraw Article III.
GMA News reported that Tolosa confirmed the prosecution panel was still deliberating on the issue, with the goal of expediting the proceedings and avoiding a trial that could extend into next year.
Lead public prosecutor Gerville Luistro earlier said prosecutors were considering dropping Article III because portions of the bribery allegation overlap with issues already being examined under the confidential-funds case involving the Office of the Vice President and DepEd.
Philstar likewise reported that some prosecutors were weighing whether to skip the remaining bribery evidence and proceed to the unexplained-wealth allegations instead.
Why prosecutors want to shorten the trial
The prosecution has repeatedly said it does not want the impeachment proceedings to drag into 2027.
Tolosa said prosecutors have been reviewing their witness list and determining whether additional testimony is actually necessary to establish their allegations.
The same approach was used in presenting the grave-threat allegations. According to Tolosa, prosecutors stopped calling additional witnesses after determining that the evidence already presented was sufficient for the points they needed to establish.
The prosecution is seeking a similar reduction in witnesses and evidence for the remaining impeachment articles.
What are the four impeachment articles?
Duterte is facing four articles of impeachment.
Article I centers on alleged misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of confidential funds involving the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
Article II involves allegations of unexplained wealth, incomplete disclosure of assets and continued business interests.
Article III concerns the alleged bribery of DepEd officials.
Article IV accuses Duterte of grave threats and related conduct involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The prosecution has already completed its presentation on Article IV and is working through evidence concerning the confidential-funds allegations under Article I. The bribery and unexplained-wealth allegations remain among the matters still to be addressed.
One article versus four: What Tolosa is arguing
Tolosa’s central point is that the prosecution does not have to win every allegation to obtain an impeachment conviction.
He pointed to the 2012 impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona as precedent. During that proceeding, prosecutors withdrew five of the eight articles against Corona and proceeded with the remaining allegations.
Corona was ultimately convicted by the Senate on the article concerning his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.
That history is being cited by Duterte’s prosecutors as an example of why withdrawing an impeachment article does not automatically end an impeachment case.
The crucial question now
The immediate issue is therefore not simply whether prosecutors will drop the bribery allegation.
The bigger question is whether the evidence they have already presented—or still intend to present on the remaining articles—will be enough to convince the Senate impeachment court to remove Duterte from office.
For now, prosecutors have not formally abandoned Article III. They are still assessing the value of presenting additional evidence against the time and resources required to do so.
The decision could significantly affect the remaining timetable of the trial, particularly as prosecutors push to finish their presentation without allowing the proceedings to extend unnecessarily into next year.
For Duterte, however, dropping one article would not by itself end the impeachment case.
The political and legal battle now moves to the remaining allegations—and whether prosecutors can persuade enough senator-judges that even one proven article warrants conviction.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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