DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 August) — President Rodrigo Duterte has directed all appointed heads of different government offices to “consider yourself resigned” for allegedly failing to stop corruption.
This after he received reports of corruption practiced allegedly by different government offices in his visits to provinces.
“You know, my mouth is, they say ‘lousy’. But I would like to issue a warning that on Monday, I would declare all positions in the government that were presidential appointments or if you are there because of the presidential appointments, I will declare all your positions all throughout the country vacant,” said Duterte in an early morning press conference Sunday.
Cabinet secretaries are not among the Presidential appointees who would be deemed resigned. Career Executive Service Officers are not considered resigned, too.
The posts vacated by the appointed office heads either “appointed by him or by the previous administration” that will “number in thousands” will be replaced by the deputy or the assistant heads so as not to derail their operations, he said
”It will number in thousands, consider yourself in the crucible of the truth about corruption in this country,” he said.
Duterte singled out the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation, Regulatory and Franchising Board (LTFRB) for corruption.
He also lambasted the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and other government financial institutions for its inefficiency to act immediately on the loans of the government workers.
“I hate it. I do not want to give the slightest headache to my fellow human being,” Duterte added.
He said that the official of the LTFRB must report to him in Malacañan Palace by Monday.
“I am also warning everybody there, and I said, all those appointed including those heads of the financial institutions. Consider yourself resigned. You go to this GSIS, you apply for a salary loan during enrolment time, it’s either no money or it is not acted upon for three months,” he said.
The President shared the experience of her late mother, Nanay Soling, a teacher, who applied for loans which were “not acted on or comes late.”
“You know we are not the sons and daughters of well-connected and moneyed (individuals). My mother was a teacher. She used to borrow money. The application sometimes not acted on or comes late. You go to Indian money lenders,” he said.
Revisit Napoles fund scam
Duterte said that the multibillion dollar fund scam masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and her cohorts in Congress who siphoned off the Priority Development Assistant Fund (PDAF) to finance fake non-government organizations (NGOs) deserves a second look.
“Let us revisit the Napoles case. I have some revealing things to tell you about it. You just wait. But I will…If that is the only thing that I’ll have to do until the end of my term, I will do it. For I shall have done a singular task of giving you the truth about your government,” he said
“There are lots of billions and billions of pesos lost. Even able just only to put several lawmakers there inside but only because the charge is —- the accusation is non-bailable. Otherwise, whether to tell — you want to reckon and telling whether eventually put in prison with finality or acquitted in the meantime just there in prison and that is not enough vindication for the Filipino people,” he said.
“The word corruption is there, so why limit? Go ahead and let the chips fall,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)