DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 November 2026) – Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving Vice President Sara Duterte, who reportedly received P2.142 million from her “loose investments” in GenCorp Industries while the company held food service contracts with the Davao local government.
During Senate impeachment proceedings, Gatchalian revealed that GenCorp secured 19 food service contracts from the Davao LGU from 2022 to 2025, under Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s administration. Defense witness Atty. Suzette Balucanag-Punay, GenCorp’s in-house counsel, argued there was no conflict since Duterte held no official position in the city government and her investments were limited to GenCorp’s Jollibee Times Square Place branch, while the Bolton Street branch handled LGU contracts.
However, Gatchalian countered that GenCorp disbursed payments without clarifying which branch generated the funds. He also questioned why Duterte received returns from GenCorp rather than the previous entities that operated the Times Square franchise, suggesting the payments were income rather than a mere return of capital.
Senator Joel Villanueva emphasized that the payments constituted income, potentially violating constitutional provisions prohibiting high-ranking officials from engaging in financially interested business dealings with government entities. Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution mandates strict avoidance of conflicts of interest for top government officials. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
