MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Sunday, October 4, stated that it leaves the decision to the House prosecution panel on whether to abandon bribery allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte, but cautioned that such a move might leave the public in the dark.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro acknowledged the prosecution’s discretion while noting that the charge was originally included with cause.
“Nasa pagpapasya po iyan ng prosecution. Kung sa tingin nila ay iyan ang tamang strategy sa paghahain ng mga testigo. Ngunit isinama nila iyan sa Articles of Impeachment, na ang ibig sabihin nito ay may sapat silang ebidensya para talakayin itong isyung bribery sa impeachment court,” Castro said.
She added that stepping back from the allegation could prevent the public from learning the complete story.
“Kung aatras sila sa akusasyong bribery laban sa Bise Presidente, hindi ba nila nasi-shortchange o nadedehado ang mga Filipino na nais sanang malaman ang buong katotohanan rito? Muli, nasa kanila po ang pagpapasya rito,” she noted.
The Palace response follows remarks from House prosecution panel spokesperson and Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, who indicated during a radio interview that prosecutors are considering bypassing the bribery charges.
“Mukhang ang direction is hindi na siya ita-tackle. Maybe that’s the direction, pero hindi pa natin pina-finalize ‘yan kasi ongoing pa rin ang discussion sa prosecution panel kung anong magiging susunod na hakbang pagkatapos ng Article 2,” Adiong said.
When asked if the panel considers the initial three articles of impeachment strong enough on their own to secure a conviction against the Vice President, Adiong confirmed that was indeed the case.