Vice President Sara Duterte said Tuesday that a possible 2028 presidential run by her younger brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, has not been discussed between them, even as his recent appearance before the Senate impeachment court has fueled speculation about his political future.
Speaking to reporters in Davao City, Sara said she and Baste have yet to talk about him seeking the presidency.
“Hindi namin napag-usapan ni Mayor Sebastian Duterte ang pagtakbo niya bilang pangulo,” she said.
Sara, however, recalled that their mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, had previously expressed a preference for Baste to take on a national political role while Sara returned to Davao City.
“Pero sa tingin ko nabanggit ko naman na ito dati, oo, publicly, nabanggit ko sa, siguro sa interview o sa speech ko, na nagsabi talaga ’yung nanay ko na pinapauwi niya ako ng Davao kasi si Baste na lang daw ang patakbuhin sa national elections,” she said.
She stressed that the matter was not the result of a family discussion on Baste’s political plans.
“So ’yun lang, sa pamilya namin, ’yun lang ’yung napag-usapan. Hindi napag-usapan, sinabi. Sinabi ng nanay ko, sabi niya, ‘Uwi ka dito sa Davao, tapos bahala na si Baste diyan sa national,’” Sara said.
The issue resurfaced following Baste’s appearance before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court on September 29 as a witness in his sister’s impeachment trial.
Baste was declared a hostile witness, allowing House prosecutors to ask him leading questions during the proceedings.
His appearance was originally scheduled from September 28 to 30. However, the impeachment court granted his request to move his appearance to September 29 and 30 to give him additional time to prepare documents required under the subpoena.
The House prosecution called Baste in connection with Davao City government transactions with GenCorp Industries Inc., a company identified by VP Sara as one of her business interests in her 2024 and 2025 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
During the proceedings, Baste said he had no personal knowledge of his sister’s connection to GenCorp when the city government entered into transactions with the company.
He said Davao City had entered into 19 contracts with GenCorp worth about P33.26 million and maintained that the transactions were above board.
Baste also told the impeachment court that he would not have allowed the contracts had he known that his sister had a business interest in the company.
His appearance before the impeachment court drew national attention, putting renewed focus on both the impeachment proceedings against Sara and speculation over Baste’s possible role in the 2028 elections.
