Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte pushed back against remarks made by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who suggested that he should ask his brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte, about the use of flood control funds in their city.
In a video update after visiting his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, on August 29, the acting mayor dismissed Abante’s comments and said the issue had already been addressed.
“Anyway sinagot na siya ng kapatid ko. Transparent naman iyong kapatid ko at ang Department of Public Works and Highways kung gusto nilang tingnan. Wala kaming problema diyan. Kayo iyong may problema. Tingnan niyo ang mga sarili niyo,” he said.
Abante earlier urged Baste to press Paolo for answers on how funds were spent on flood control projects in Davao. In response, the first district representative said online that all projects in his jurisdiction were “properly implemented and completed,” directing the DPWH to release relevant records.
Baste reiterated that Davao City has been transparent and ready with its plans, but he criticized the highly centralized setup that leaves local governments unable to finance large-scale infrastructure without national support.
“Ready ang Davao City for anything when it comes to implementation. However, ang problem, ang local budget will not be enough for these kinds of investments. Kailangan ang national talaga ang mag-invest ng ganoong kalalaking proyekto,” he stressed.
