House prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution is considering dropping the presentation of Article 3, which accuses Vice President Sara Duterte of allegedly bribing Department of Education (DepEd) officials, as the impeachment trial moves forward.
Speaking during a lunch briefing on Wednesday, September 2, Chua said the prosecution wants to avoid unnecessarily prolonging the proceedings and may reduce the number of articles it will present if it determines that its existing evidence is already strong enough.
“Ayaw namin ang mahabang hearing… kung sa palagay namin ay matibay na ’yong mga ebidensya namin ay puwedeng mabawasan ’yung mga artikulo na aming ipe-presenta,” Chua said.
He explained that the prosecution has already presented evidence on Article 4 and Article 1, and is now prioritizing the article concerning Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
“Dahil ito naman talaga inaabangan ng lahat ng mga kababayan natin, ang unexplained wealth,” he said.
Chua stressed that the possible removal of Article 3 from the presentation does not mean the prosecution considers the bribery allegation weak.
When asked whether the bribery case was not strong, Chua replied, “Hindi po mahina, lahat po ’yan malakas. Hindi naman po namin ipi-presenta o ilalagay sa article kung sa tingin namin mahina. It’s just a matter of prioritization.”
He cited the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona as an example, noting that not all articles were necessarily presented during the proceedings.
Chua also said the prosecution is certain to present the unexplained wealth article, unlike Article 3, which remains under consideration.
“No, sure naman na ipi-presenta ang unexplained wealth,” Chua said.
The prosecution hopes that limiting its presentation to the remaining priority articles could shorten the trial. Chua said that if the unexplained wealth article is the only additional article presented, the prosecution could finish its presentation by the first or second week of October.
He added that the defense could then begin presenting its evidence, with a possible completion by November. Chua expressed hope that the Senate impeachment court could reach a verdict by December.
