The Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, issued a revised subpoena requiring Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to testify at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte from September 28 to 30, following the rescheduling of oral arguments.
Subpoena Rescheduled Amid Impeachment Proceedings
The Senate impeachment court recalled the initial subpoena that had directed Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to appear on Wednesday, September 23. Presiding officer Senator-Judge Francis Escudero announced the schedule change at the conclusion of the 27th day of the trial, moving the appearances for Mayor Duterte, Atty. Gary Samonte, and Police Maj. Jerickson Sangalang to September 28 to 30, 2026.
Impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol confirmed that the Senate sergeant-at-arms delivered the subpoena ad testificandum et duces tecum directly to the mayor’s office in Davao City. Under the subpoena, Baste was directed to appear before the impeachment court from September 28 to 30, 2026. Alongside his personal testimony, Mayor Duterte is ordered to produce certified true copies and complete electronic versions of official local government records, specifically covering contracts and transaction records entered into from 2020 to the present with Gencorp Industries Inc. and any corporation or other entity that owns or operates a Jollibee branch or establishment.
“The chair recalls the subpoena issued to Mayor Sebastian Duterte on September 23, and orders the clerk of court to issue the corresponding subpoenas for Mayor Duterte, Atty. Samonte, and Major Sangalang on September 28 to September 30 at 10 in the morning,” Escudero said at the end of the 27th day of the trial.
We’re expecting that all witnesses, not only Mayor Duterte, will adhere [to] the court’s compulsory process and that they will be present here for the impeachment trial next week,
Tongol said in a mix of English and Filipino. The order was personally served in Davao City by two representatives from the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms. The summons aims to address potential conflicts of interest and examine corporate entities linked to the Vice President’s family, specifically regarding whether these firms had official transactions or dealings with the local government. House prosecution panels earlier emphasized that Mayor Duterte is expected to present City records and clarify if private firms secured contracts, permits, or financial advantages under both the Vice President’s and her successor’s administrations.
Heeding the subpoena on Monday was Gerardo del Rosario, director of the company registration and monitoring department of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He is scheduled to return on Tuesday to answer questions on the alleged shareholdings of the vice president.
Gencorp Contracts, Asset Declarations, and SEC Records
The testimony centers on Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment, which specifically alleges that the Vice President accumulated unexplained wealth through the failure to fully and truthfully disclose all her and her spouse’s assets, liabilities, and net worth in her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), including in her SALN for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, and the failure to divest, and instead willfully continuing all her business interests during her tenure. Vice President Sara Duterte declared an interest in Gencorp Industries in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
However, Securities and Exchange Commission Director Gerardo del Rosario stated that Sara’s name did not appear as an incorporator or stockholder in Gencorp’s corporate records.
Davao City Hall Transactions and Local Government Response
Mayor Duterte pushed back against the allegations by releasing a statement maintaining that the local government’s financial engagements with Gencorp are “above board” and fully documented in accordance with government procurement standards. According to the mayor, the firm secured 19 contracts totaling ₱33,263,161.00 with the city government since 2022—a figure higher than what Rappler initially reported and more than double the unconfirmed ₱14.32-million figure circulating in reports.
The mayor detailed that the engagements began in 2022 and consist of 13 completed contracts and six ongoing accounts. Of these, four were awarded through competitive public bidding, while 15 were executed via small-value procurement as allowed under Republic Act 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act). Duterte underlined that the company underwent evaluation in every instance and consistently submitted the lowest calculated responsive bid or offer, with all 19 contracts processed, reported, and published on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System portal.
Baste also denied that Sara’s name or even the Duterte surname appeared in any of the company’s official documents submitted to the Davao City government. He stated: I, and all other officials and employees of the City Government of Davao, never had any knowledge of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte holding an interest in Gencorp Industries Inc.,
and added, “Furthermore, neither the name Sara Zimmerman Duterte nor the surname ‘Duterte’ appears in any of the official documents such as, among others, the Articles of Incorporation, submitted by Gencorp Industries Inc. across the 19 contracts and transactions in question.”
As of press time, the Davao City Government and the City Information Office have yet to release an official statement regarding the served subpoena beyond the mayor’s issued remarks. The Senate impeachment court expects all summoned witnesses to comply with the compulsory process when proceedings resume next week.