Panelo: Bribery article drop may reflect weak case

Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp on Monday said the House prosecution may be moving to drop the bribery article in her impeachment case because it considers the allegation weak and wants to shorten the proceedings.

Vice presidential spokesperson Paolo Panelo said the prosecution’s reported decision to abandon Article III could reflect concerns about how the defense would respond to the evidence.

“Baka mahina. Baka ang depensa, baka ina-anticipate nila kung ano yung mga possible na sagot ng defense team at baka natatakot sila kung anong isasagot sa kanila,” Panelo told reporters in an ambush interview.

“So siguro, it’s a way for them to shorten the proceedings. I think they even said that, na to streamline, to shorten the proceedings, they’re dropping the article on trial,” he added.

Panelo also questioned why the trial needed to conclude by December, although he acknowledged that he had heard only unverified theories about the timetable.

“Hindi natin masasabi,” Panelo said when asked why the trial was supposedly being rushed toward December.

He said one theory was that the trial should end before the 2027 period so that it would not affect preparations for the 2028 elections, but stressed that these were only “kuro-kuro” and had not been verified.

House prosecution spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong said on Sunday that the panel was leaning toward no longer presenting Article III after Article II, although discussions were continuing at the time.

Later that day, Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the prosecution panel, confirmed that prosecutors would drop the bribery charge to speed up the trial and avoid extending the proceedings into next year.

Article III accuses Duterte of bribery, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in connection with allegations that she caused monetary gifts or payments to Department of Education officials. ###