DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte dismissed the impeachment complaints against his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, as a distraction from the controversy surrounding the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Speaking on his program Basta Dabawenyo on Sunday, February 23, 2025, Baste claimed the administration is using the impeachment issue to divert public attention from questions about the national budget.
He said he has neither seen nor discussed the impeachment complaints with Sara but emphasized that the vice president remains unfazed, confident that she has done nothing wrong.
“Syempe pag kontra nimo ang magpagawas og ilahang narrative they would do everything na i-angle ka para i-antagonize gyud ang imuhang kontra (Of course, when you oppose them and challenge their narrative, they will do everything to paint you as the antagonist),” he said.
He expressed hope that once the impeachment issue is resolved, the public will refocus on the national budget concerns.
Strong legal team
Mayor Duterte also thanked the team of lawyers who personally filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial.
He highlighted that Sara Duterte’s legal counsel includes former President Rodrigo Duterte, Lucas Carpio Jr. (the vice president’s father-in-law), Philip Sigfrid Fortun, Gregorio Narvasa II, Sheila Sison, and Roberto Batungbacal—giving them a strong legal defense.
“So andam musukol mao na ang kuan sitwasyon nato karun kung unsa man na ang ilang ginakuan na gusto nila ma-impeach ang vice president, andam ta nga musukol diha (We are ready to fight back. Whatever claims they are making, we are prepared to face them),” Baste said.
A group of Mindanao-based lawyers filed a petition with the SC arguing that the impeachment complaint is "defective."
On February 18, 2025, Sara also petitioned the SC, questioning the constitutionality of the impeachment case filed against her by the House of Representatives.
The House impeached Duterte on February 5, 2025 — the last session day before Congress adjourned for a four-month break ahead of the midterm elections. Seven Articles of Impeachment were submitted to the Senate, but the upper chamber adjourned without addressing them.
The allegations against Duterte include an alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, as well as accusations of misusing confidential funds and corruption during her tenure as Education Secretary from 2022 to 2024. RGP