THE IMPEACHMENT prosecution team formed against Vice President Sara Duterte formally rested its case on Tuesday last week.
The surprise move was reached after 39 trial days. The impeachment court approved the withdrawal of articles on grave threats, misuse of confidential funds, and bribery.
Allegations of unexplained wealth are the only article left for the impeachment court to adjudicate.
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The impeachment trial is on a break.
Sessions will resume on November 9 when Duterte’s defense team will begin presenting evidence that will hopefully exonerate her on the remaining article.
The defense originally manifested 32 days to wrap up its presentation – but this was premised on four articles that required countervailing evidence. With only one article left, it is probable that the defense can terminate its presentation in 10 hearing days.
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There is as yet no fixed target date for a verdict – whether for conviction or acquittal.
But with this revised timeline, there can be a decision by early December. If a judgment of conviction is handed down, the country might have a new vice president before the end of the year.
Should that happen, an entirely different political landscape will present itself starting 2027.
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Many local leaders supportive of the Duterte brand are now fence-sitting.
They see Baste Duterte as a much weaker candidate. Perception of such weakness can adversely affect political funding at all levels, and a queue to the Palace will bail the President and his political party out of lame-duck status in the run-up to the 2028 national elections.
In the meantime, there seems to be no let-up in the offensives against the Vice President and her family.
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Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) referred to the Office of the Ombudsman its findings on the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
According to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, it has conducted a fact-finding investigation on Duterte’s SALN from 2024 to 2025 which identifies several land titles for 14 properties, with particular focus on a property in Catigan, Davao City.
The property was declared as agricultural land worth only P890,000. However, the NBI claims it was actually estimated at P50 to P60 million.
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The NBI is also running after Genesis88 Construction Inc. over alleged anomalies involving P7 billion worth of flood control contracts in the congressional district of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.
Genesis88 is reportedly owned by Glenn Escandor who has been linked to the Duterte family. Matibag had described Escandor as a long-time friend of the Duterte family.
The scuttlebutt is that Escandor donated almost P20 million to the 2022 vice presidential campaign of Sara Duterte.
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Escandor has been publicly named a Dabawenyo business tycoon and sports leader. In August 2016 Rodrigo Duterte appointed him presidential assistant for sports.
It would appear that that Escandor was a long-time sports consultant of Duterte during his term as mayor of Davao City.
Will poll surveys early next year reflect all this bad publicity?/PN
