Luistro says OVP ‘consistent’ with deficiencies flagged by COA

MANILA — Lead House prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro observed that the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte appears to be “consistent”, after the Commission on Audit recently flagged the OVP’s supposed deficiencies in relief operation implementation in 2025, involving at least P167.97 million.

“Consistent ang OVP na nafa-flag ng COA,” Luistro said.

The COA previously issued separate notices of disallowance on the OVP’s confidential expenses in 2022 and 2023, totaling P448 million. These were raised in an impeachment article accusing Duterte of alleged confidential fund misuse, which she previously denied.

House impeachment prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon clapped back at those criticizing the Senate impeachment court’s interpretation of the conviction threshold in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.

“Doon sa mga nagsasabi na this is manipulated, and kung ano pa man ang sinasabi nila, may tissue ako rito, punasan n’yo ‘yung luha n’yo,” he said.

Ridon and Luistro added anyone is free to question before the Supreme Court the impeachment court’s threshold interpretation.

But the lead House prosecutor also believes the issue is not yet justiciable.

“The test is may actual injury na ba na masu-sustain ang petitioner… We believe that this actual injury will be sustained only when the vote will be casted first. So from our end, we maintain that the issue is not yet justiciable, the issue is not yet ripe, for purposes of filing a petition for certiorari but of course it is for the Supreme Court to say that,” Luistro explained.

Luistro said the Senate impeachment court’s interpretation of the conviction threshold in the impeachment trial may lower not just the number of votes needed to convict Duterte, but also the number votes needed to acquit her.

“By giving clarity to the denominator, what is lowered is not only the number for conviction, but also the number for acquittal. Two-way consequence ‘yan. When they said that all members of the Senate pertain only to those who are legally and factually present, ang naapektuhan ay hindi lamang numero ng conviction, naapektuhan din ang numero ng acquittal,” she explained.

Amid this development, the prosecution said they remain focused on presenting evidence in the impeachment trial.

“Whether it is 16, whether it is 14, regardless of the vote, the obligation of prosecution remains the same,” Luistro said.

“Kung magko-convict, sana maka-16, so that issues on threshold will be moot and academic already. That is just my personal opinion, it does not bind the prosecution team,” she added.

“Hindi naman kami nandito para magbilang ng boto, we are not vote counters here. Kami ilalatag namin ‘yung mga ebidensya tungkol dito sa Articles of Impeachment ng Vice President. Pero kung ano yung abutin ng boto, if this is sufficient to convict, then we will abide by what the votes will be. Pero syempre, gusto namin yung talagang biggest number of votes at that point. So whether it’s 16 or lower, bahala na ang mga senator judges to make that determination. Basta kami, we will deliver the evidence in each and every article,” Ridon, for his part, said.

For Luistro, Senator-judge Mark Villar’s vote on the interpretation of the conviction threshold does not signal how he will decide on Duterte’s impeachment case.

“The fact na bumoto siya towards clarifying the denominator does not mean any position on the verdict,” she said.