VP Sara ‘unaware’ of Mayor Baste’s suspension

📷Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte said on Monday, June 12, that she was unaware of any alleged Marcos administration’s intention to suspend Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

The Vice President made the remarks on the sidelines of the Independence Day celebration at Rizal Park after former presidential spokesman Harry Roque disclosed that the Davao City Mayor is facing an imminent suspension for criticizing the Marcos administration.

Roque also cited claims that the suspension order will be implemented after Marcos’ visit to the Davao region to provide financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolks affected by El Niño.

“Wala ko nahibal-an na information about sa suspension ni Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte. Kung aduna man ingon ana nga papel or document nga suspension niya, hulaton nalang nato (I don’t have any information about the suspension of Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte. If there’s any document regarding his suspension, let’s just wait for it),” Duterte told reporters.

“Let us wait kung unsa mga (what are the) legal actions ni (of) Mayor Baste,” she added.

Last week, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, Jr. dismissed rumors about the potential suspension of Mayor Duterte while expressing confusion about where Roque got his information.

“As far as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is concerned, right now, there is no truth to that. It’s gossip,” Abalos said on the sidelines of Marcos’ visit to Tagum City.

For his part, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said that there is no ongoing investigation regarding any case against the Davao City Mayor filed before his office.

”Baste has no case before the ombudsman, so how can we issue a preventive suspension?” Martires said.

The ombudsman orders the preventive suspension for up to six months of public officials facing investigation for serious offenses such as grave misconduct that warrant dismissal from office if found guilty.

Meanwhile, the mayor dismissed rumors of his removal during an interview with reporters on Saturday, June 8, at Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School in Davao City.

“While I’m here now because I don’t know, there are rumors that I’ll be removed, I’ll be suspended. For me, you justkeep going, whatever happens, even I’ll disappear since the city is peaceful, so far. But it’s just gossip that we have to wait and it will come. Then you just keep going,” Duterte said.

“The important thing is that we are government people. Politics is chaos, the other ones fight and at the end of the day it’s up to them what their method is, I have mine too,” he added. (TCSP)