THE House prosecution panel is reviewing the procurement records brought by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to determine why his public statement identified 19 city transactions with GenCorp Industries Inc. while Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) documents presented in court listed 15.
The mayor brought roughly 100 pages of records in response to the Senate Impeachment Court’s subpoena. The court gave prosecutors and Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s lawyers time to inspect the documents before Mayor Duterte’s direct examination resumed.
House prosecution spokesperson Ace Barbers said the first task was to verify the count against the records already presented during the trial.
“Iyong number, we’re still confirming, kasi based on the records that we have, iba ito sa number na inihayag ni Mayor Baste,” Barbers said.
Mayor Duterte’s September 21 statement said Davao City entered into 19 GenCorp transactions worth more than ₱33.2 million. Earlier testimony by PhilGEPS Division Chief Rendell Sopeña identified 15 Davao City contracts awarded to the company.
GenCorp appears in Vice President Duterte’s 2024 and 2025 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth as a business interest. The prosecution is examining the contracts under Article II of the impeachment case, which concerns allegations involving her wealth disclosures and continuing business interests.
Barbers said both sides required time because the records had only been produced that morning.
“Since these are voluminous, both parties needed more time to peruse over this kasi ngayon lang nakita,” he said.
The prosecution is checking more than the number of contracts. Barbers said the dates would show when each procurement began, when bids or offers were invited and when awards were made.
“One, iyong date. Kasi mahalaga iyong mga information na iyan,” he said.
He said prosecutors also wanted to identify what Davao City bought under each transaction.
“Ano iyong bina-bid mo? Supply ba iyan? Pagkain ba iyan?” Barbers asked.
For food and catering contracts, he said the records could identify the venue, activity, quantity and purpose behind the purchase.
“Some other finer details of the bid are very relevant nang sa ganoon maintindihan natin,” Barbers said.
Prosecutors are also checking the procurement method used for each transaction. Mayor Duterte’s public statement said four went through competitive public bidding, while 15 used small-value procurement. Earlier, PhilGEPS testimony concerned 15 Davao City awards, 11 of which did not undergo public bidding.
House prosecutor and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Zamora said Mayor Duterte’s direct examination had not yet ended, and prosecutors would give him the opportunity to address the differing counts.
“Yes, you’re right: 19 iyong sinabi ni Mayor Baste, and 15 actually iyong nandoon sa listahan,” Zamora said. “Tingnan po natin how he will be able to reconcile those also.”
metrosundaily
