The House prosecution has made its final decision to drop the bribery charge against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it has presented sufficient evidence on the three other impeachment articles and wants to avoid unnecessarily prolonging the trial.

House prosecutor Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores confirmed Friday that the prosecution had filed a formal manifestation with the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, Oct. 6, informing it of the decision.

“I think we already filed our manifestation last Tuesday pa, that we will be dropping bribery,” Flores said at the House prosecution’s lunch break press briefing.

“So the team already came to a decision we will end with Article II,” he added.

Article III involves allegations that Duterte bribed Department of Education (DepEd) officials to influence procurement decisions during her tenure as education secretary.

Flores said the prosecution believed it had already presented sufficient evidence on the three other articles and that pursuing bribery would only prolong the proceedings.

The prosecution has presented evidence on Article I, involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and DepEd, 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.

It is now completing its presentation under Article II, which concerns alleged unexplained wealth based on bank transactions, tax records, property documents and Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

Flores explained that the prosecution’s original request for 60 days to present its case had accounted for possible interruptions and other developments affecting the trial schedule.

He also maintained that the decision to drop bribery was entirely within the prosecution’s discretion and had drawn no objection from the impeachment court.

“There was no reaction naman from the impeachment court, kasi it’s totally at the discretion of the prosecution team po kung anong articles ang ipro-prosecute nila,” Flores said.

Fellow House prosecutor 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said each impeachment article stands independently, regardless of the decision to drop one of the charges.

“All articles that were filed in the impeachment, all articles of impeachment that were filed, would stand on their own,” Gutierrez said.

Flores said the prosecution would rest its case after completing its presentation under Article II, without proceeding further on the bribery allegations. House Public Communications Bureau