The House prosecution panel on Tuesday withdrew three of the four Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, opting to pursue only the charge related to alleged unexplained wealth and undeclared assets, which prosecutors said is sufficient to secure a conviction.
House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro told the impeachment court that the panel would proceed solely with Article II, which alleges culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust arising from Duterte’s alleged failure to declare substantial assets.
“The prosecution believes it has presented sufficient evidence for Article II to stand on its own. All in po tayo dito,” Luistro said. “We believe the evidence is substantial and compelling and warrants the respondent’s removal from office for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.”
The prosecution’s move effectively drops Article I on the alleged misuse of confidential funds, Article III concerning allegations of bribery, and Article IV involving alleged threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Luistro said the decision was “the most judicious course consistent with the evidence and our duty to the nation.”
She also cited the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, where prosecutors pursued only selected articles, saying the precedent recognized the prosecution’s authority to determine which charges to continue and which to withdraw.
Duterte’s defense panel did not oppose the prosecution’s motion.
“If that’s the call of the prosecution to withdraw certain articles from the articles of impeachment, that is their lookout and that is their prerogative. Now, whatever will be the consequence of that decision will be or would be for them to bear alone and not for the respondent,” defense counsel Atty. Sheila Sison told the court.
The prosecution has centered its case on allegations that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, accumulated approximately P817.87 million in unexplained wealth between 2022 and 2025.
During the proceedings, forensic financial expert Atty. Alexander Cabrera testified that the amount represents a conservative estimate and could reach as much as P1.5 billion if less restrictive accounting methods were applied.
In his submission to the impeachment court, Cabrera said the couple’s alleged unexplained wealth totaled P817,874,867, including undeclared cash, personal and real properties, as well as computed undeclared income attributed to the couple and several corporate entities.
According to the analysis, the highest annual amount was recorded in 2024 at P264.2 million, followed by P195.7 million in 2025, P190.6 million in 2022, and P167.3 million in 2023.
Cabrera’s report also identified P207.7 million in allegedly undeclared cash over the four-year period and P143.5 million in alleged undeclared personal and real properties.
The financial review further estimated P111.9 million in undeclared income earned by Duterte and Carpio during the same period.
The analysis likewise cited allegedly undeclared income linked to corporate entities Cale88, Metro City Chow, and GenCorp Industries.
For Cale88 and Metro City Chow, computed undeclared income reached P142.2 million from 2022 to 2025. Meanwhile, alleged undeclared income attributed to GenCorp Industries totaled P212.6 million from 2023 to 2025.
The impeachment court has yet to rule on the prosecution’s motion to withdraw the remaining articles and proceed solely with Article II. ||
