Should Vice President Sara Duterte have known about Gencorp Industries Inc.’s contracts with the Davao City government, which is headed by her brother?
Political commentator Jesus Falcis and lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles gave opposing takes on whether Duterte truly knew about the dealings and was responsible for informing her brother about her ties to the company.
Speaking on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “The Spokes,” Falcis said that even if Duterte’s name does not appear in Gencorp’s corporate records, she should have known that it was dealing with the Davao City government headed by her brother, Mayor Sebastian Duterte, since she declared ties to the company in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth.
But “The Spokes” host Cruz-Angeles said the Vice President could not have known about the Gencorp contracts because she is no longer with Davao City and is holding office primarily in Metro Manila.
The government contracts that Gencorp won since 2022 came under scrutiny in the Vice President’s impeachment trial in relation to unexplained wealth allegations. These included P34M worth of contracts from Davao City.
Duterte had listed Gencorp among her business interests in her SALN, but she does not appear in its corporate records.
Falcis said the Duterte siblings appear close to each other and the Vice President could have told Sebastian about her ties to Gencorp.
He also said that since she declared Gencorp in her SALN, she should know that it has contracts with Davao City.
“Dapat si VP Sara nag-iinform as a sibling, with all the due diligence of a national government official, with all the ethics that comes with it, to have the foresight na mako-call out kami, may conflict of interest,” he said.
Cruz-Angeles said that the Vice President could not have known about the dealings of Davao City anymore since she is no longer its mayor and also noted that not all siblings know about each other’s business interests.
She also said that even if Duterte declared Gencorp in her SALN, she is not in its records as an officer.
“The discrepancy should be read in favor of the respondent,” she said.
Falcis disagreed that there was a presumption of innocence in Duterte’s favor, while Cruz-Angeles said this was in the Constitution.
But Falcis also said that all they are saying is speculative because the defense has yet to disclose Duterte’s actual relationship or level of involvement with Gencorp.
Cruz-Angeles said her arguments were based on what was discussed in the impeachment trial.