Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon clarified that the House prosecution panel intends to introduce the impeachment charge regarding bribery once it concludes presenting evidence on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds.
The clarification from the prosecution team member follows previous statements hinting that the charge regarding Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth would be handled next.
The potential shift in sequence emerged after private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan suggested that Duterte’s personal international travel history might be relevant to the unexplained wealth charge.
“Wala pa naman po pagpapasya yung panel kung magtutuloy na po sa unexplained wealth,” Ridon stated, noting that the bribery article could be tackled next instead.
The four articles of impeachment involve allegations of threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez; the alleged misuse of confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd); the alleged bribery of DepEd officials; and unexplained wealth.
While the prosecution has wrapped up its evidence presentation for the threat charge, it is still in the process of calling witnesses for the confidential funds article.
“I think tapusin muna namin ‘yung confidential funds misuse bago namin pagpasyahan ‘yung susunod na order or sequencing nitong paglalatag po ebidensya,” he explained. “But as far as the panel is concerned, tingin ko tuloy pa rin toward bribery yung presentasyon ng ebidensya namin.”
Ridon mentioned that prosecutors are preparing additional key witnesses before closing the confidential funds phase.
“Inaasahan natin sa susunod ring linggo maisalang yung iba pang mga witnesses katulad ni Mr. Edward Fajarda, iyung iba pang mga relevant OVP personnel katulad ni (Lemuel) Ortonio at maisalang na routine yung NBI, PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) at iba pang mga very relevant witnesses dito sa confidential funds sa misuse article,” the lawmaker said.
The prosecution panel continues to evaluate its witness lineup after every presentation to ensure each testimony offers substantial support to the case, allowing them to advance efficiently to the remaining charges.