Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte takes the witness stand as a hostile witness in the impeachment trial of his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, at the Senate in Pasay City on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA (UPDATE) — The Senate impeachment court declared Tuesday Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte as a "hostile witness" in the trial of his sister, Vice President Duterte.
This means Mayor Duterte had an adverse interest to the prosecution, which presented him as a witness, and allowed prosecution counsel Theodore Te to ask him leading questions.
Presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero said Mayor Duterte's "adverse interest" had been established, noting that if the allegations against him in the proceedings were proven, "it might expose the mayor from liability together with the respondent (Vice President Duterte) after the fact."
"Court, therefore, declares that the adverse interest of the witness has been established and declares him a hostile witness," Escudero said.
Prior to this, Te confronted Mayor Duterte with screenshots of his previous statements, including a report quoting him as saying that the impeachment trial was aimed at preventing his sister from running in the 2028 elections — a statement he confirmed was his and was based on his "perception."
He also confirmed issuing a statement on Facebook on September 21 regarding the issue involving GenCorp. Industries Inc., in which he warned against "deceptive claims and orchestrated narratives engineered solely to serve political motives that suit personal interests and promote disunity."
Mayor Duterte also confirmed that he was attending the trial because he had been compelled by a subpoena and would not have testified voluntarily.
The local chief executive was summoned to the court to be questioned over the Davao City government's contracts with GenCorp Industries Inc., a company in which his sister declared an interest in her 2024 and 2025 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
The court is tackling allegations that Vice President Duterte amassed unexplained wealth, failed to fully disclose her assets, and failed to divest her business interests while serving as vice president.
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