DILG names Baste Duterte acting Davao City mayor in father’s absence
Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte —City Government of Davao Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte will serve as acting mayor in the absence of his father, former President and Mayor-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained in The Hague while waiting to be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement on Tuesday, a day after the winners in the May 12 midterm elections were officially sworn in, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that Secretary Jonvic Remulla directed Baste on Monday “to perform the duties and functions of mayor of Davao City to prevent paralysis of government operations.”
READ: Can Duterte take his oath in The Hague?
The DILG cited section 46(a) of the Local Government Code, which states that if the elected mayor is “temporarily incapacitated to perform his duties for physical or legal reasons,” the vice mayor shall automatically exercise the powers of the official concerned and also perform his duties and functions.
Nephew is vice mayor
With Baste assuming the mayoralty, his nephew, Rodrigo Duterte II, will become the acting vice mayor as stipulated by Administrative Order No. 15 series of 2018, the DILG noted.
Duterte II received the highest number of votes for city councilor in the first district.
“The DILG underscores that the action is both legal and necessary to ensure continuity of leadership in Davao City amid ongoing legal proceedings involving the former President before the ICC,” the DILG said.
The former president was arrested on March 11 and turned over to the ICC in The Hague, to face charges of murder as a crime against humanity over the thousands of killings during his drug war.
Despite being away from the country, the elder Duterte was overwhelmingly elected in the recent midterm elections as mayor of Davao City, his family’s political bailiwick. He also served in the same post for over 20 years before he was elected to the presidency.
Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing with the ICC is set for Sept. 23. /cb
