Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte says he was unaware of VP Sara’s link to GenCorp

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 23, 2026

Photo courtesy: Multiple Sources

MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte said he was unaware that his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, had an interest in GenCorp Industries Inc., despite the company receiving millions of pesos worth of contracts from the Davao City government.

In a statement, Duterte said neither he nor other Davao City officials and employees knew of the vice president’s connection to GenCorp.

He also said the name “Sara Duterte” or the surname “Duterte” did not appear in documents submitted by the company to the local government.

His statement is consistent with earlier testimony from Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo del Rosario, who told the Senate impeachment court that Sara Duterte’s name does not appear in GenCorp’s corporate records as an incorporator, director, or stockholder.

The issue came up as the impeachment court examined government contracts awarded to GenCorp.

Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System Division Chief Rendell Sopeña testified that the Davao City government awarded 15 contracts worth more than P34.2 million to GenCorp from 2022 to 2026.

Sopeña said GenCorp received about P35.8 million in government contracts overall, including those from Davao City, PhilHealth Region 11 and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Region 11.

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan, however, characterized Mayor Duterte’s statement as a “confession,” arguing that as local chief executive he should have been aware of transactions and contracts entered into by the city government.

“This is not only an admission, it is a confession,” Kapunan said.

Kapunan’s remarks represent the prosecution’s interpretation of Duterte’s statement and not a finding by the impeachment court.

Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero, meanwhile, stressed that the prosecution has yet to conclusively establish a direct link between Sara Duterte and GenCorp through the corporate records presented in court.

Escudero noted that while GenCorp was listed in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, the prosecution’s own SEC witness testified that the company’s records did not identify her as a stockholder or director.

He said the senator-judges would have to evaluate and weigh the differing pieces of evidence presented before the court.

Sara Duterte declared GenCorp as one of her business interests in her 2024 and 2025 SALNs, despite her name not appearing in the corporate records examined by the SEC.

Mayor Duterte has since been formally served a subpoena requiring him to testify regarding GenCorp’s contracts with the Davao City government.

He is scheduled to appear before the impeachment court from Sept. 28 to 30 as hearings continue on Article II of the impeachment case, which concerns allegations involving the vice president’s wealth and business interests.