Senate court expects Baste Duterte’s appearance in impeachment trial

BASTE. Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

Facebook/Baste Duterte

Under the subpoena, the Davao City mayor is directed to appear before the impeachment court from September 28 to 30

AT A GLANCE

• Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte is expected to testify in the impeachment trial of his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, from September 28 to 30, 2026, as per a subpoena delivered to his office.
• The subpoena requires Mayor Duterte to present official records related to Gencorp Industries Inc., a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte, who declared stock ownership in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
• Concerns have been raised regarding Sara Duterte's business interests and potential conflicts of interest, as legal experts suggest she should have divested from Gencorp upon assuming the vice presidency in 2022.

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MANILA, Philippines – The Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, September 22, said it expected Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to participate in the impeachment trial of his older sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, next week.

Impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol confirmed that the Senate sergeant-at-arms had delivered the subpoena ad testificandum et duces tecum to the mayor’s office in Davao City.

Under the subpoena, Baste was directed to appear before the impeachment court from September 28 to 30, 2026.

He was also ordered to produce certified true copies of relevant official records in the custody of the Davao City government, including “all contracts and similar transaction records entered into from 2020 to the present with: Gencorp Industries Inc.; and any corporation or other entity that owns or operates a Jollibee branch or establishment.”

“We’re expecting that all witnesses, not only Mayor Duterte, will adhere [to] the court’s compulsory process and that they will be present here for the impeachment trial next week,” Tongol said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Gencorp Industries was linked to the Vice President after she declared in her 2022, 2023, and 2024 Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) that she was a stockholder of the company.

However, Sara’s name did not appear as an incorporator or stockholder in Gencorp’s corporate records, according to Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo del Rosario.

Baste, in a statement, also denied that Sara’s name or even the Duterte surname appeared in any of the company’s official documents submitted to the Davao City government.

He said Gencorp had secured 19 contracts worth P33 million with the city government since 2022, a figure higher than what Rappler initially reported.

“I, and all other officials and employees of the City Government of Davao, never had any knowledge of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte holding an interest in Gencorp Industries Inc.,” he said.

“Furthermore, neither the name Sara Zimmerman Duterte nor the surname ‘Duterte’ appears in any of the official documents such as, among others, the Articles of Incorporation, submitted by Gencorp Industries Inc. across the 19 contracts and transactions in question,” he added.

The impeachment court had initially directed the mayor to appear at the trial on Wednesday, September 23. However, it recalled the subpoena and reset his appearance in view of the oral arguments on the voting threshold.

What’s Sara’s role in Gencorp?

Senator-judge Bam Aquino, in an interjection during Tuesday’s hearing, asked the defense counsel about Duterte’s role in the company, noting that the Vice President herself had declared Gencorp in her SALN.

Defense lawyer Justin Nicol Gular said it would be premature for the defense to answer the question.

“I was expecting that answer, but like what the amicus curiae said, at the end of the day, the impeachment trial is sui generis, and we can follow our own path towards truth and fairness,” Aquino said, adding that Gencorp officials may shed light on the Vice President’s position in the company.

Del Rosario identified Kimberly Justine Y. Cruz as Gencorp’s president, Richie Yvette L. Cruz as treasurer, and Girley S. De La Cruz as corporate secretary.

Meanwhile, Del Rosario said Duterte should have known to divest from her business interests upon assuming the vice presidency in 2022.

“The law is clear that there is a prohibition, and she should have known that as a high-ranking government official. When she took her oath as Vice President, she swore to act within those limitations. So, ideally, before she took her oath, she should have removed herself from it or divested,” Del Rosario said.

Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and their deputies or assistants “shall not, unless otherwise provided in this Constitution, hold any other office or employment during their tenure.”

It also states that they “shall not, during said tenure, directly or indirectly, practice any other profession, participate in any business, or be financially interested in any contract with, or in any franchise, or special privilege granted by the Government,” and that they “shall strictly avoid conflict of interest in the conduct of their office.” – Rappler.com