MANILA— House prosecutors are preparing to submit their formal offer of evidence against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte before the Oct. 23 deadline, as they seek to expedite the Senate impeachment trial after dropping three of the four articles of impeachment.

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel, said Saturday that prosecutors wanted to complete the submission ahead of schedule following their decision to rest their case on Oct. 13.

“Kung maibibigay po natin nang mas maaga, the better,” Chua said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

The Senate impeachment court gave the prosecution 10 days from the conclusion of its case to formally offer documentary and object evidence supporting Article II, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth, undeclared assets and prohibited business interests.

Once the formal offer is submitted, Duterte’s defense team will have 10 days from receipt to file its comments and objections.

Chua said the prosecution’s decision to withdraw the other three articles was part of a legal strategy intended to prevent the proceedings from extending into 2027 and losing public attention.

“Parte ’yun talaga ng legal strategy… kasi po ‘pag nagkakaroon po kami ng meeting, parte rin po dito ’yung babasahin mo kung ano magiging diskarte ng defense. So paano, how will you counter that?” he said.

He added that prosecutors had anticipated the defense’s possible moves and believed that concentrating on a single article would shorten the trial.

“Ang totoo po niyan, inaasahan po namin na patatagalin po nila ‘yung article. Nabasa na po namin ‘yung kanilang magiging strategy,” Chua said.

The impeachment court accepted the withdrawal of Article I, involving alleged misuse of confidential funds; Article III, concerning bribery; and Article IV, involving grave threats, on Oct. 13. Article II is now the sole remaining charge.

Chua said prosecutors initially considered dropping only the bribery article after completing their presentation of evidence on the financial allegations. They eventually opted to withdraw all three remaining articles to streamline the proceedings.

“This time maiksi na lang eh, dahil ang magiging ano na lang dito, ‘yung Article II. So wala akong nakikitang dahilan para humaba pa,” he said.

The prosecution’s final witness, forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera, testified on Oct. 9 and concluded his testimony on Oct. 12.

Cabrera told the court that his examination of available financial records identified approximately P817.87 million in allegedly unexplained wealth involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, from 2022 to 2025. He said the figure could reach P1.5 billion under less conservative assumptions.

His findings drew on bank records, income tax returns, insurance documents, corporate filings and Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Duterte has denied wrongdoing, while her defense team disputes the allegations.

Her lawyers have criticized the prosecution’s withdrawal of the three articles, arguing that the move deprived the vice president of the opportunity to challenge the accusations and present evidence in her defense.

Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison said the prosecution should not be allowed to make accusations without allowing the defense to contest them. Duterte spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. likewise claimed the withdrawal demonstrated that the charges lacked basis and denied her the opportunity to secure an acquittal.

Chua rejected the arguments, saying Duterte had already been given opportunities to respond to the allegations during congressional investigations in 2024.

“As early as 2024, noong ito po ay dinudulog sa Committee on Good Government, doon pa lang po binigyan na sila ng pagkakataon para sagutin ang lahat ng mga allegations sa kanila,” he said.

He also accused Duterte’s camp of focusing on Supreme Court challenges involving jurisdiction and other procedural matters rather than directly addressing the allegations.

The Senate impeachment court has lifted the sub judice restrictions covering the withdrawn articles, allowing Duterte and her lawyers to publicly respond to the accusations. The allegations involving confidential funds remain subject to separate evaluation by the Office of the Ombudsman, while a grave threats case is pending before a Quezon City court.

Chua expressed hope that the streamlined proceedings would allow the impeachment court to decide the case by late November or early December.

“We hope na kung isa na lang po ’yung article na pag-uusapan, sana po by end of November or at least at the latest first week of December, sana po makapagdesisyon na po,” he said.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Nov. 9, when Duterte’s defense team is expected to begin presenting its evidence, subject to the court’s resolution of the prosecution’s formal offer.