Vice President Sara Duterte now faces only one charge in her impeachment trial at the Senate: unexplained wealth.
The impeachment court, with Sen. Francis Escudero presiding, allowed the House prosecutors to drop three articles on October 13. Escudero said this was the prosecution’s prerogative, according to Khaleej Times. The dropped articles accused Duterte of bribery, illegal use of public funds, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.
The remaining article alleges that the Vice President and her husband amassed ₱817.87 million in undeclared assets, Khaleej Times reported. Lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro said the evidence already presented on this charge is strong.
Both camps object
The defense and several groups criticized the move. Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison called it “very strange,” saying it was too late to claim the prosecution wanted to save time after it had “spent 38 days” in open court. Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano backed the defense’s opposition. Bayan president Renato Reyes Jr. called the withdrawal “a great disservice to the Filipino people, and a huge missed opportunity.” National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president Ephraim Cortez said dropping the charges is “tantamount to affirming her innocence on said charges.”
The numbers
A September ruling of the Senate counts the two-thirds vote only among senators “capable of participating.” With four of Duterte’s allies absent, AFP reported that 14 votes are enough to convict. A conviction would remove her and permanently bar her from elected office, ending her 2028 presidential bid.
What’s next
Hearings resume on November 9, when the defense must respond to the unexplained wealth charge. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the trial could wrap up as early as the end of November.
Sources: Agence France-Presse (AFP) report of October 13, 2026; Khaleej Times report of October 15, 2026.