Who is Tristan Domingo, the Davao official behind contracts awarded to Duterte’s company?

Millions of pesos worth of food contracts awarded by Davao City Hall to a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte were signed not by Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, but by an assistant city administrator entrusted with exercising the mayor’s authority.

Tristan Dwight P. Domingo, Davao City’s assistant city administrator for administration, signed contracts awarded to Gencorp Industries Inc., a company declared in the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

The transactions raise questions about the city’s procurement process and potential conflicts of interest, particularly because the contracts were awarded under the administration of Baste Duterte, Sara’s brother.

Last September, Rappler’s investigative report found that Gencorp secured millions of pesos worth of food supply contracts from Davao City Hall.

One of the contracts obtained by Rappler cited Executive Order No. 28, dated July 1, 2022, as the basis for Domingo’s authority to sign on behalf of the mayor.

Domingo’s LinkedIn profile identifies him as the duly authorized representative of the city mayor and the head of the procuring entity (HOPE).

“As the HOPE, he is responsible for approving or disapproving BAC (Bidding and Awards Committee) recommendations and ensuring adherence to procurement regulations,” his profile reads.

During the impeachment trial of the Vice President, Mayor Baste Duterte, standing as a witness, said he delegated the authority to sign contracts to Domingo so he could attend to other responsibilities as mayor.

In a statement released in September following Rappler’s investigation, Mayor Duterte said he and all other officials and employees of the Davao City Hall “never had any knowledge of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte holding an interest in Gencorp.” Baste maintained that all of the transactions of the city government with Gencorp follow government procurement laws.

Ties to Sara Duterte

Domingo’s position in Davao City’s bureaucracy predates Baste Duterte’s current mayoral post.

In 2013, when Sara Duterte was still mayor, she appointed Domingo as assistant city administrator, according to a SunStar report. His appointment came a day before Duterte went on maternity leave.

Before his appointment, Domingo served as acting chief of the Davao City Business Bureau.

In 2016, Duterte even gave Domingo power to file charges “against any official or employee of the city who may have committed an offense in the performance of his officials duties, and functions,” according to a Philstar report.

The Duterte family has been running Davao City Hall for nearly four decades. Rodrigo Duterte served as mayor for several terms starting in 1988 before Sara Duterte succeeded him. Sara served as vice mayor from 2007 to 2010, mayor from 2010 to 2013, and from 2016 to 2022. In 2022, she was elected as the country’s vice president.

Beyond his position as assistant city administrator, Domingo also serves as the Davao City government’s data protection officer, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He is also listed as project manager for two of the city’s flagship initiatives: the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, also known as the Davao Bus Project or High Priority Bus System, and construction of waste-to-energy facilities.

Domingo is a lawyer who earned his law degree from Ateneo de Davao University. He studied political science and sociology at the University of the Philippines Baguio.– Rappler.com