House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro on Wednesday described the decision to drop three of the four impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte as a “big risk,” leaving the prosecution with only one remaining chance to secure a conviction.
In an interview on DZRH's Dos Por Dos, Luistro said the House prosecution panel would focus solely on Article II, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth, after withdrawing the articles involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery and grave threats.
“Ang sabi ko ito’y parang malaking risk na aming tinetake. Sapagkat, we only need one conviction to anticipate removal and perpetual disqualification,” she said.
“But since withdraw na yung tatlo, iisa na lang ang aming tsansa to get that possibility. And if we do not get that conviction under Article II, unexplained wealth and that’s it that will be the end of the entire impeachment process,” she added.
Luistro, meanwhile, defended the decision, saying it was not unfair but an exercise of the “prosecution’s prerogative.“
During the 39th day of the impeachment trial, Luistro said the House prosecution panel would no longer pursue the articles involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds (Article I), bribery (Article III) and grave threats (Article IV), leaving allegations of unexplained wealth under Article II as the sole focus of its case against Duterte.
“Hindi naman po madaya,” Luistro said, rejecting accusations that the prosecution was being unfair by presenting evidence on only one remaining article.
“We are just exercising our exclusive prerogative as prosecution,” she added, explaining that the panel had the authority to determine which articles of impeachment to pursue and what evidence to present before the impeachment court.
Luistro said the decision was not made overnight, stressing that the prosecution had carefully weighed several considerations, including the interests of the public, the impeachment court and the defense.
“Maraming nagging konsiderasyon ang prosecution and it is not an overnight decision. Ito ay paulit-ulit at masusiing pinag-aralan kasama sa aring kinonsidera ay ang interes ng publiko, interes ng impeachment court at ganun na rin ang depensa,” Luistro noted.
She also responded to suggestions that the prosecution was withholding evidence from the public, saying the defense and Duterte had been holding press conferences to share their evidence.
Luistro said the prosecution was surprised by the defense’s reaction to the withdrawal of the three articles, as it had initially expected the move to benefit Duterte by reducing the number of allegations she would have to answer.
The lead prosecutor stressed the move was also intended to expedite the impeachment trial and avoid prolonged proceedings arising from cross-examinations.
The House prosecution panel’s decision to drop the three articles narrows the scope of the case against Duterte, with the outcome now hinging on whether the senator-judges find sufficient grounds to convict her on the remaining allegation of unexplained wealth.
Watch the full interview below:
