Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte confirmed on Tuesday that he knew businessman Jaime T. Cruz, whose name repeatedly appeared in documents presented during the 31st day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
During direct examination, House private prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Te asked Baste if he knew Cruz.
“Yes, sir,” Baste confirmed.
Te then asked whether he knew Cruz because they were business partners.
“Yes, sir,” the mayor replied.
Later, Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros asked Baste to describe Cruz’s relationship with the Duterte family, noting that Cruz had served under the administration of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had common business interests with the Duterte siblings, and had appeared as a contractor of the Davao City government.
“Given these things, paano niyo po ilalarawan ‘yung relasyon ni Jaime T. Cruz sa pamilya ninyo?” Hontiveros asked.
Baste described Cruz as a friend of his father and a known businessman in Davao.
“Maybe not entirely in the family but he’s a friend of my father, he’s a known businessman in Davao,” Baste said.
The testimony came as the prosecution examined Baste about individuals and business interests connected to transactions involving the Davao City government and allegations raised against Vice President Sara Duterte.
