Impeachment court issues subpoena to Baste Duterte

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The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, directing him to appear at the impeachment trial of his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.

Duterte was among the individuals subpoenaed to appear on September 23, including Gerardo del Rosario, director of the company registration and monitoring department of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"A subpoena ad testificandum duces tecum is hereby ordered to be issued to Atty. Ariel Ronquillo and Rendell Sopeña for September 21 to 23," said Presiding Officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero at the end of the Day 26 of the impeachment trial.

"In regard to Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Atty. Gary Samonte, and Police Major Jerickson Sangalang, let the subpoena be issued only for September 23. However, on September 22, depending on where we are with respect to the three witnesses, we shall announce if we will be withdrawing that subpoena and simply issue a new one," he added.

The impeachment court is currently discussing the Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which involves the alleged unexplained wealth of the vice president.

Former Sandiganbayan presiding justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang was earlier invited to the trial, wherein she testified that a public official's acquisition of unexplained wealth can be ground for removal from office.

For its part, the House prosecution panel said the Davao City mayor could speak about the Gencorp Industries, Inc., a firm linked to his sister.

"Ang gusto natin malaman dito, in his capacity as mayor of Davao, kung nagkaroon ba ng dealings itong company na ito with the city government of Davao. Kung ano 'yung details? Let's see when he is called in to the stand," said House prosecution panel spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. in a press briefing.

(What we want to know here, in his capacity as mayor of Davao, is whether this company had any dealings with the city government of Davao. As for the details? Let's see when he is called to the stand.)

When asked if Baste will be considered a hostile witness, Tolosa said: "Depende 'yan if the court will qualify him as an expert witness just all the other witnesses we presented. Ang test naman diyan will be the same, if it will be shown that his interest is adverse to that of the prosecution, dahil kami 'yung party na tumatawag sa kanya as witness, then the court will qualify him as a hostile witness."

(That depends on whether the court will qualify him as an expert witness, just like all the other witnesses we presented. The test for that will be the same: if it is shown that his interest is adverse to that of the prosecution, since we are the party calling him as a witness, then the court will qualify him as a hostile witness.) — VDV, GMA News