Sara Duterte trial wrap-up, Sept. 29: Baste Duterte on the stand

Entrepreneurship

MANILA, Philippines– Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte affirmed at the impeachment trial of his sis, Vice President Sara Duterte, on Tuesday, September 29, stating he had no direct understanding of the city’s 19 agreements with a company stated as a company interest in her SALN.

The direct and interrogation of the vice president’s bro boiled down to one primary concern on GenCorp Industries Inc.: Was there a dispute of interest when the Davao City federal government granted it agreements, all while his sibling was vice president?

On that concern, the mayor consistently informed the court he might just address based upon the record, as he had actually not personally examined agreements with the company. Baste stated it was the city’s quotes and awards committee that examined GenCorp which an assistant signed the agreements under entrusted authority.

He stated he was not knowledgeable about his sis’s service interests since, in his words, “we simply do not discuss this.”

A theoretical, nevertheless, emerged throughout the procedures, when Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero asked whether the mayor would have permitted any award to GenCorp had he understood his sis was a shareholder.

“I would not allow it,” Baste stated.

From 2022 to 2026, Davao City granted GenCorp 19 food and catering agreements, 15 of them through little worth procurement, which does not need public bidding. None were participated in while the vice president herself was the city’s mayor.

GenCorp’s ties to the vice president exist just on her declaration of properties, liabilities and net worth (SALN), which notes her as an investor. The business records of the business, nevertheless, as the Securities and Exchange Commission has actually shared with the court, do not list Duterte.

Escudero stated on Monday that this inconsistency has yet to be fixed up.

Here are the 3 highlights from today’s procedures.

Entrepreneurship 1. No understanding of GenCorp, however a service partner of a GenCorp shareholder

Under direct questioning by prosecution counsel Theodore Te, the Davao mayor affirmed he had no individual understanding of GenCorp before the business was raised in the impeachment trial.

The mayor nevertheless likewise verified that Jaime T. Cruz, GenCorp’s significant shareholder, is his service partner in another business whose 2026 business filing likewise notes his sibling Paolo Duterte.

Duterte stated he never ever talked about GenCorp with Cruz and did not understand of Cruz’s stake in it.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked Baste to explain Cruz’s relationship with the Dutertes.

“Maybe not entirely the family, but he’s a friend of my father. He’s a known businessman in Davao,” the mayor stated.

Hontiveros stated that made the relationship a “close” one.

Entrepreneurship 2. “The witness is not the one on trial”

Escudero consistently pushed district attorneys to link their concerns to the short article at hand, as “the witness is not the one on trial here.”

Sens. Alan Peter Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Bong Go and Joel Villanueva utilized their turns to argue that a mayor can not examine each and every single file he indications.

Sen. Ping Lacson kept in mind that the mayor “never denied anything” and asked whether his attorneys had actually informed him of the Arias teaching, which lets workplace heads count on subordinates in great faith.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo asked whether the mayor would check out the agreements himself.

That produced a non-committal response from the vice president’s bro.

“Well, as long as my sister’s name, the vice president’s name was not on the contract then there’s nothing,” Baste responded.

Entrepreneurship 3. No response needed

Escudero revealed today the court’s judgment on the prosecution’s ask for admission on some 104 products relating to her and her other half’s bank and tax records.

The court agreed the defense and ruled Duterte does not need to address the prosecution’s 104-item ask for admission, mentioning her right versus self-incrimination.

“The prosecution cannot shift its burden of proof to respondent through the simple expedience of a request for admission,” Escudero stated.

Escudero likewise decreased to subpoena previous Sen. Antonio Trillanes, whom district attorneys wished to advance as their very first witness tomorrow.

Escudero revealed his unwillingness and stated the prosecution’s own movement connected Trillanes’s testament to bank records that have actually not yet existed: “The cart cannot be put ahead of the horse,” he stated.

The administering officer likewise informed the prosecution absolutely nothing stopped it from willingly calling Trillanes as a witness this week without a subppoena.

The previous senator remained in the gallery today throughout Baste’s discussion.