DAVAO CITY— President Rodrigo Duterte promised that his administration will provide lawmakers with a detailed report on the purchase of medical equipment, stressing the transactions entered into by the government are aboveboard.
In a televised address, the President asked the public not to believe corruption accusations that unfairly dragged the name of Secretary Francisco Duque III, adding he intentionally ordered the purchase of the equipment through the budget department and the Office of the President to hasten the process.
“We will have a report coming your way and that is the stand of the Office of the President. Kami ho ang nag-utos niyan na dito na sa Budget para pag-release ng pera madali, diretso na,” he said.
“It so happened that we have some — talagang mga b***s*** na tao, at kayo maniniwala kaagad. You better wait for the official report at least for respeto. A little respect coming from the Office of the President kasi sinadya ko ‘yan.”
The President insisted that right at the beginning, he issued a warning not to abuse government money as the country battles a pandemic.
He also criticized the common practice of getting the lowest bid, which he said, is the source of all corruption. He advised agencies to adopt other systems.
Also on Thursday, President Duterte made a renewed appeal to local government units (LGUs) to take in returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were declared free of the coronavirus.
LGUs opting to shut their doors to the returning workers could be held criminally liable, he said.
“Okay man lang ‘yan. It’s part of maybe the vigilance that a person nurtures in his heart of how to do it. But you know there are also constitutional issues that are involved and those are sacred ones,” the President said.
“And for those who are not really pronounced to be infected positive, there’s no reason why you should not accept them especially those who are returning to their homes from doing a work abroad.”
The workers’ constitutional rights are protected and the LGUs have no reason not to accept them with open arms, he noted.
In his previous address, the President said only the national government has the right to impose travel restrictions especially during times of emergencies.-Newsline
