FACT CHECK: Baste Duterte NOT removed as Davao City mayor

Amid circulating rumors of a possible suspension, a video on YouTube claims that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has been removed from his position. This is false.

Published on June 12, a YouTube channel published the video with this headline:

“KAKAPASOK LANG Grabe ang Nangyare sa Davao Mayor Baste Duterte Tanggal na (Just in. What happened to Davao City Baste Duterte is severe. He was removed) DiLg (sic) Abalos BBM Liza Tamba”

The following text can also be read on the video’s thumbnail:

“TANGGAL SA PWESTO. TINAPOS SI MAYOR BASTE, FPRRD NA-IYAK. SINIBAK SI BASTE (Removed from his position. Mayor Baste junked, Former President Rodrigo Duterte cried. Baste was fired).”

No evidence was shown to back the headline’s false claim in the 30-minute video. Instead, it mentioned the relief of Davao City cops due to a pending investigation into drug-related killings in the city, which the mayor condemned.

Talk on the alleged suspension of Mayor Duterte was fueled by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, but Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said the speculation was based on “gossip” and had “no truth to [it].”

According to Chapter 4, Sec. 60 of the Local Government Code, an elected local official may be disciplined, suspended or removed on various grounds, including disloyalty to the country, dereliction of duty, abuse of authority among others, by “order of the proper court.”

Currently, there is no pending case seeking to suspend or remove Duterte from office.

This video emerged more than a week after 37 Davao City employees were dismissed due to alleged drug use. Duterte announced his plan to conduct mandatory drug tests in all government offices under his jurisdiction.

YouTube channel PINAS NEWS INSIDER (created on Dec. 26, 2015) published the erroneous video which could have reached more than 897,000 YouTube users, garnering over 58,000 views and 2,200 online interactions.

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