Defense washes hands of Baste statement

Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Tuesday distanced itself from Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s statement on his sister’s business interests, saying it could not comment because the mayor was not their client.

Deputy defense spokesperson Justin Gular clarified the matter after reporters asked the defense to respond to House prosecution panel spokesperson Ace Barbers who described Baste Duterte’s statement as a possible “smoking gun” against the Vice President.

“We respect any opinions of the prosecution panel and even the public on what they may make out of the statement,” Gular told reporters in a press briefing.

“But for the clarity of everyone, the defense team of the Vice President has no comment on that because we don’t represent Mayor Duterte,” he said.

Gular said the defense would instead wait to see if Baste Duterte’s statement would be formally presented before the Senate impeachment court.

The defense lawyer also declined to say whether the defense considered the younger Duterte’s statement favorable or damaging to the Vice President.

Barbers earlier told reporters that Baste Duterte’s statement could prove significant because it came directly from the Davao City mayor.

“Well, this could be tantamount to a smoking gun. Why? Because this did not come from us. It came from the mayor of Davao City who admitted it,” Barbers said.

“He wasn’t even asked. In fact, we were anticipating that when he appears on the stand, our prosecutors would question him about all these deals entered into by this company called GenCorp,” he said in Filipino.

Mayor Duterte said on Monday that he and other Davao City officials had no knowledge about his sister declaring an interest in GenCorp Industries Inc., which had secured 19 contracts with the city government worth more than P33.2 million.

He noted that Sara Duterte’s name or the surname “Duterte” did not appear in GenCorp’s official corporate documents and said the transactions underwent the city’s procurement processes.

The Vice President had declared a business interest in GenCorp Industries Inc. in her 2024 and 2025 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

But Gerardo del Rosario, Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department director, had earlier testified that her name did not appear as an incorporator, director, or stockholder in GenCorp’s corporate records.

Instead, the records identified JTC Group of Companies Philippines Inc. as GenCorp’s largest subscriber.

Baste Duterte is expected to testify between 28 and 30 September.