House prosecutors drop bribery charge against Sara Duterte

House prosecutors have formally withdrawn the bribery charge against Vice President Sara Duterte during her impeachment trial. The prosecution panel submitted a written manifestation to the Senate Impeachment Court to drop Article III, which addressed allegations of bribing Department of Education officials to influence procurement decisions.

Representative Jonathan Keith Flores, acting as a solon-prosecutor, stated that the decision was driven by time constraints rather than the strength of the evidence. He noted that the panel is conscious of the established timetable and aims to avoid prolonging the proceedings or testing the patience of the public and senator-judges.

The impeachment proceedings will continue, focusing on the remaining articles. Prosecutors have already concluded evidence presentation regarding the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos in confidential funds. The unexplained wealth allegation, categorized as Article II, will now serve as the final article for the prosecution's evidence presentation.