By Joyce Ann Rocamora
MANILA – The House of Representatives prosecution panel hopes to see the Senate impeachment court finally reach a decision on the case of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte by late November or early December.
“Inaasahan po natin, kung isa na lang ‘yung article na pag-uusapan, sana po by end of November, or at least, at the latest, first week of December, sana makapagdesisyon na po (We anticipate that if there is only one article left to discuss, a decision could hopefully be reached by the end of November, or, at the very latest, by the first week of December),” House prosecutor and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
The prosecution panel had decided to drop three of four Articles of Impeachment leveled against the Vice President, covering the alleged misuse of confidential funds, grave threats and bribery.
In defending the move, Chua said the panel believes the remaining article dealing with unexplained wealth has the strongest and most compelling evidence that the watching public could easily absorb and understand.
“Tingin ko naman, lahat naman po tayo, nauunawaan po natin ‘yung PHP818 million. So ito po, maliwanag na wala po, malayo po ito sa dineklara niyang PHP98 million nung 2025 (I believe everyone can grasp the figure of PHP818 million. It is a far cry from the PHP98 million she declared in 2025),” he said.
Lawyer Alexander Cabrera, the expert witness presented by the prosecution, earlier said his forensic examination uncovered approximately PHP817.87 million in alleged unexplained wealth involving Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, from 2022 to 2025.
The defense is set to begin presenting their evidence and witnesses when the trial proceedings resume on Nov. 9.
For Chua, this also serves an opportunity for Duterte’s camp to provide a clear explanation regarding the PHP319-million transaction involving Cale88, a company in which her spouse holds an interest but was not reflected in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. (PNA)
Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero (standing) and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian
