MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives' prosecution panel on Tuesday pointed to Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s disclosure of city government contracts with GenCorp Industries Inc., calling it a “smoking gun” in the unexplained wealth case involving his older sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.
The mayor, in a statement, confirmed that GenCorp secured 19 contracts, which he insisted are 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 likewise reiterated that 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 15 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.
Meanwhile, private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan, in a separate chance interview, said the mayor’s confirmation of Davao City’s deals with GenCorp 'was not only an admission,' but a 'confession'.
“We will see what he will testify when he is a witness and he is subject to direct and cross-examination,” Kapunan said.
The Senate impeachment court is currently hearing Article II or the alleged unexplained wealth of Duterte. Presiding officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has issued a subpoena for the mayor, along with two others, to take the witness stand on September 28 to 30.
