House prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte have dropped the bribery charge, saying on October 9 that it no longer fit their trial timetable, though prosecutor Keith Flores insisted the decision was not about the strength of the case. The prosecution will now conclude its evidence with the allegations of unexplained wealth; the bribery case rested on claims that she ordered cash given to school superintendents while serving as education secretary. The Palace had warned that abandoning the charge could leave Filipinos seeking the full truth shortchanged, a sign of the political stakes in the Senate trial of the country's second-highest official.