Sara may be ordered to return misused funds

Vice President Sara Z. Duterte could still face an order to return allegedly misused public funds, even though the impeachment court can only impose removal from office and disqualification from holding public office, a House prosecutor said Friday.

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, explained in a press briefing that while the impeachment court’s penalties are limited, a conviction could open the door to criminal and administrative cases requiring Duterte to return public funds.

“Once na-convict na po siya sa impeachment, pupuwede naman pong kasuhan sa Ombudsman ang ating Vice President dito po sa mga kasong ito (Once convicted by the impeachment court, other cases can be filed in court against the vice president, including the Ombudsman),” Chua said.

He emphasized that the Constitution explicitly states only two possible penalties for an impeachment conviction.

“Sa atin po kasing Saligang Batas, dalawa lang ang magiging desisyon ng impeachment court (In our Constitution, the impeachment court can only decide on two penalties),” he said.

Chua assured that the prosecution has strong evidence against Duterte, including official documents, particularly financial records allegedly containing fictitious names such as Mary Grace Piattos.

“Solid ‘yung evidence natin. In fact, mayroon na rin tayong mga documentary evidence like ‘yung PSA report, so lahat naman ‘yan ay intact (Our evidence is solid. In fact, we also have documentary evidence, like the Philippine Statistics Authority report, so everything is intact),” he said.

He warned that delays in the impeachment trial could impact evidence integrity and witness security.

“But at the end of the day, siyempre habang tumatagal ‘yan, hindi natin malalaman at hindi natin masisiguro na walang mga pagbabago sa mga ‘yan (At the end of the day, as time passes, we cannot be certain that there won’t be changes to the evidence),” he said.

Chua also pointed out the psychological toll on witnesses due to prolonged proceedings.

“Kaya kami, hangga’t maaari, mas maganda masimulan na, nang sa ganun matapos na rin ‘yung anxiety at ‘yung fear at uncertainty ng mga testigo namin (As much as possible, we want to start soon so that the anxiety, fear, and uncertainty of our witnesses can be resolved),” he said.