THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has officially appointed Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte as acting mayor, following the continued detention of his father, former president and mayor-elect Rodrigo Duterte, in the Netherlands.
In a statement issued Monday, the DILG cited the “temporary legal incapacity” of the elder Duterte, who remains in custody at the Hague Penitentiary Institution after his March arrest by Interpol over crimes against humanity charges filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“You are hereby enjoined to perform the duties and functions of Mayor of Davao City to prevent paralysis of government operations,” DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla wrote in a June 30 letter to Baste Duterte.
The directive follows Section 46(a) of the Local Government Code, which authorizes the vice mayor to assume mayoral duties in cases of the mayor’s temporary physical or legal incapacity.
Despite the former president’s absence, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) previously confirmed his proclamation as Davao City mayor-elect.
To maintain the continuity of governance, the DILG also designated Councilor Rodrigo Duterte II, the top-ranked member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, as acting vice mayor, pursuant to Administrative Order No. 15, series of 2018.
DILG emphasized that the appointments are both lawful and necessary amid the unprecedented legal developments surrounding Duterte’s arrest and detention overseas.
Rodrigo Duterte was apprehended on March 11 in coordination with Interpol agents acting on the ICC-issued warrant.
He was later transferred to Scheveningen Prison in The Hague on March 13 (Philippine time), where he awaits trial related to alleged human rights violations during his administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign.