Baste Duterte asks impeachment court to reset trial appearance
MANILA, Philippines – Davao City mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has asked the Senate impeachment court to reset the date of his testimony in the impeachment trial of his older sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.
On Day 30 of the trial, on Monday, September 28, presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the court has received a letter from Duterte requesting to be allowed to “gather, organize, authenticate, and reproduce” the documents being subpoenaed by the court and to appear before the court on Tuesday, September 29, or Wednesday, September 30.
“The court was in receipt of a letter from Mayor Sebastian Duterte of the city of Davao dated today requesting that among others, that he be given time as he requires substantial time to gather, organize, authenticate, and reproduce the subpoenaed documents and asks that he be allowed to attend instead of today, tomorrow and on Wednesday,” Escudero.
“The presiding officer grants the request of mayor Duterte to appear tomorrow and Wednesday,” he said.
The Davao mayor was earlier subpoenaed to appear before the court from September 28 to September 30. 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.”
Gencorp was linked to the Vice President after it was found that she declared herself as a stockholder of the company in her 2022, 2023, and 2024 Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
However, her name did not appear as an incorporator or stockholder in Gencorp’s corporate records, according to Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo del Rosario.
Rappler earlier reported that Gencorp secured P15.02 million in food and catering contracts from Davao City Hall and PhilHealth between 2022 and 2025, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Mayor Duterte himself said that Gencopr cornered at least 19 contracts worth P33.26 million, and that that all these transactions followed government procurement laws.
He had 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.
The impeachment court 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.
Meanwhile, impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said witnesses who voluntarily attended the trial, including former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, may testify — even without a subpoena — should the mayor skip the trial on September 29.
Trillanes was among the witnesses the prosecution listed to testify in the alleged unexplained wealth case. However, prosecutors have yet to formally request the court to issue a subpoena to the former senator.
“It is the prosecutors’ prerogative to present Trillanes….It is also the prerogative of the respondent’s counsel to object to that. But usually in these cases, the presiding officer would try to balance the interest of both the court, the prosecution, and the respondent,” Tongol told reporters.
“If there are such instances, like in a way a surprise witness will testify, the presiding officer will provide ample time for the respondent’s counsel to conduct their cross-examination maybe some other day. So presenting Trillanes is possible — it is within the multiverse of madness,” he said.
Tongol also said that it is the House prosecution panel has the prerogative to request the court to cite the mayor in contempt should he fail to appear at the impeachment trial. – Rappler.com
