MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte conceded on the 31st day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial that he simply assumed a private contractor complied with city requirements rather than verifying its eligibility himself.
Testifying before the Senate impeachment court, the mayor faced direct questioning from prosecution panel member Atty. Theodore “Ted” Te regarding municipal transactions awarded to GenCorp Industries Inc.—a firm tied to allegations in Article II of the Vice President’s impeachment complaint.
Te pressed the mayor on his previous claims of conducting a “rigorous” evaluation of GenCorp, specifically asking if he had verified whether the company satisfied all municipal criteria before receiving city business.
”I do not know that as of now. We can check our records in the city,” Baste stated when asked about specific compliance checks.
When asked directly if he personally knew whether GenCorp met the mandatory five-year operational requirement for the deal, the mayor offered a similar response.
”I do not know,” Baste said.
Te then questioned whether checking such basic qualifications was part of the evaluation process, prompting the mayor to acknowledge his reliance on assumptions.
”It is presumed that GenCorp has complied,” Baste said.
”According to you, sir, it is presumed that GenCorp has complied,” Te repeated.
”Yes,” Baste confirmed.
The exchange grew tense when Te asked if relying on assumptions aligned with the mayor’s definition of a “rigorous evaluation.” Defense attorney Atty. Justin Gular objected to the line of questioning, calling it argumentative.
Te defended the query by noting he was using the witness’s direct testimony.
”I’m simply using the witness’s own statement, Your Honor,” Te argued.
Presiding Officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero sustained the flow of the trial by instructing the prosecution to move to its next set of questions.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s effort to establish irregularity in Davao City government contracts linked to the Vice President’s financial disclosures.