28 Sep 2026 2 min read

VP-Linked Firm's Davao City Deals: 11 of 15 Contracts Bypassed Public Bidding, PhilGEPS Official Tells Impeachment Court

Eleven out of 15 government contracts between the Davao City local government and Gencorp Industries, Inc. — a company Vice President Sara Duterte listed in her statement of assets — did not go through public bidding, a Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) official testified before the Senate impeachment court on Monday, September 28, 2026.

PhilGEPS division chief Rendell Sopeña on Day 30 of VP Sara's Impeachment Trial

Rendell Sopeña, chief of PhilGEPS' Electronic Government Procurement Operations Division, told senator-judges that only four of the 15 contracts awarded to Gencorp between July 21, 2022 and June 23, 2026 underwent competitive public bidding. The remaining 11 were processed through negotiated small-value procurement, a procurement mode typically reserved for lower-value transactions that do not require the full bidding process.

"If I remember correctly, 11 did not go through public bidding," Sopeña told the court.

The total value of all 15 contracts reached approximately P34.216 million, with the 11 non-bidded contracts individually valued between P49,800 and P805,500 — including amounts of P501,600, P414,000, P249,000, P498,000, P381,000, P508,000, P254,000, and P554,000.

Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros pressed Sopeña on whether it was proper for a local government unit to repeatedly award contracts to a company in which the sitting mayor's sibling held an interest, without those contracts going through the standard competitive bidding process. Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, the vice president's younger brother, served as Davao City mayor for most of the period covered by the contracts.

The testimony forms part of the prosecution's case under the impeachment complaint's allegations of unexplained wealth against Vice President Duterte, who listed Gencorp Industries in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) even though her name does not appear in the company's corporate documents. Baste Duterte earlier told the impeachment court that Davao City was unaware of his sister's interest in Gencorp at the time the contracts were awarded.

The Senate impeachment court continues to hear witnesses this week as the trial proceeds, with additional testimony expected from other officials with knowledge of the city government's procurement records.