THE House of Representatives’ prosecution panel on Tuesday pointed to Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s disclosure of city government contracts with GenCorp Industries Inc. as a “smoking gun” in the unexplained wealth case involving his older sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.
The mayor, who has been subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court, confirmed in a statement Monday that GenCorp secured 19 contracts, which he insisted were all “above board,” with the Davao City government since 2022, even correcting earlier reports that contracts are worth a combined P33 million, according to Duterte — more than twice the P14 million amount reported earlier.
He said he was unaware that his sister holds any business interest in GenCorp.
“This could be tantamount to a ‘smoking gun.’ Why? Because this didn’t come from us. It came directly from the honorable mayor of Davao City himself, and he was the one who admitted it,” former Surigao del Sur lawmaker and House prosecution panel adviser Robert Ace Barbers said in a press conference on Day 28 of the vice president’s impeachment trial.
The younger Duterte’s remarks, a seeming attempt to downplay the vice president’s involvement with the firm, strengthens the prosecution’s argument that he should testify before the Senate impeachment court.
“He hadn’t even been questioned yet. In fact, we were anticipating that when he took the stand, our prosecutors would question him about all these deals entered into by the company called GenCorp. According to our initial information, GenCorp had been awarded contracts worth nearly P15 million here in Davao City. But we’re glad the mayor corrected the figure. In fact, it turned out to be double that amount. So, we thank him for coming forward,” Barbers said.
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said the mayor’s confirmation of Davao City’s deals with GenCorp “was not only an admission,” but a “confession.”
The Senate impeachment court is currently hearing Article II or the alleged unexplained wealth of Duterte. Presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero has issued a subpoena for the mayor, along with two others, to take the witness stand on Sept. 28 to 30.
Barbers said the panel would ask the mayor about his role as head of the city’s procuring entity.
The Senate impeachment court has issued a new subpoena requiring Mayor Duterte to appear as a witness in the impeachment trial of his sister, and produce city government records involving transactions with GenCorp Industries Inc.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (Ret.) Gen. Alfred Corpus said personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) had delivered and served the subpoena to the mayor.
Impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol separately confirmed that the mayor’s office had received the subpoena ad testificandum and duces tecum, which requires a witness to testify and produce specified documents.
The subpoena, issued at the prosecution’s request, directs Mayor Duterte to appear before the court from Sept. 28 to 30.
The prosecution is examining GenCorp’s dealings with the Davao City government as part of Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which includes allegations concerning Duterte’s wealth declarations and continued business interests while in office.
The prosecution said it may seek to have Mayor Duterte declared a hostile witness, which would allow it to ask leading questions, subject to the court’s ruling. Prosecutors said his appearance was sought because of his official position as Davao City mayor and his potential knowledge of the city’s transactions with GenCorp, not merely because of his family relationship with the vice president.
