ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Chua: House prosecutors eager to present facts in VP Duterte impeachment trial

Chua: House prosecutors eager to present facts in VP Duterte impeachment trial

Published May 19, 2026 02:00 pm

At A Glance

  • The House prosecution panel affirms readiness to present facts and evidence in Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial, following the court's convening on May 18.
  • Rep. Joel Chua stresses their constitutional duty to ensure accountability, with evidence properly heard and tested before the Senate.
  • The trial, expected in June, targets Duterte over alleged misuse of P612.5 million confidential funds, false asset declarations, unexplained wealth, and threats against top officials, requiring a two‑thirds Senate vote for conviction.
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (PPAB)
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (PPAB)


The 11-strong House prosecution panel has ensured the presentation of facts as far as the impending Senate impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte is concerned.
Thus, said Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the prosecution team, on Tuesday, May 19, or a day after the Senate convened as an impeachment court for the trial of the second highest official of the land.
“We acknowledge the convening of the Senate impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte," said the lawyer-legislator.
According to him, the panel’s immediate task is to ensure that the evidence is properly heard and tested before the Senate impeachment court.
“At this stage, our duty is clear: to help ensure that the facts are heard, the evidence is tested and the process is carried out in a manner worthy of the trust of the Filipino people,” Chua added.
The actual trial in the upper chamber is expected to begin in June.
Vice President Duterte's conviction via impeachment trial is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
“We are prepared to present the evidence before the impeachment court and to comply with its lawful orders, directives and procedures,” Chua stated.
The convening of the impeachment court came after weeks of political tension in the Senate. This included a leadership change and controversy over Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a Duterte ally wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the previous administration’s drug war.
Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, emphasized that the case was part of the constitutional accountability mechanism for officials occupying impeachable positions.
“This is a constitutional duty entrusted to the House of Representatives, especially in matters involving accountability of impeachable public officers,” he stressed.
A two-thirds vote--or 16 out 24 senators--is needed by the prosecutors to convict Duterte.
Conviction in the Senate trial would unseat Duterte as Vice President. She will also be barred from holding public office for life.

Related Tags

joel chua Impeachment impeachment trial Sara Duterte senate
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.