DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte wants corrupt local government officials out.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in the Tuesday press briefing at the Palace said the President would expand his “cleansing of the bureaucracy” to local officials.
In 2017, Duterte fired ten top officials of his administration over corruption issues. (duterte-fires-10-top-officials-in-2017/)
Last week he fired Marcial Amaro III, administrator of Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) for excessive foreign travels and getting allowancs from teh government coffers.
Roque revealed, during the 21st Cabinet meeting in Malacañang Monday, “The President stated that he will continue with the process of cleansing the bureaucracy and that he will now turn more of his attention to local government units, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”
On October 2017 Executive Order (EO) No. 43, creating the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission but the Commission has yet to be activated.
Roque said this showed Duterte’s “firm resolve against corruption.”
“It’s been established but it hasn’t been constituted. But the President has not waited for its constitution before he has started actually the purging of corrupt officials in government,” he said.
Roque said the President “has shown that with or without it, he has a firm resolve against corruption and he will implement it,” he added.
At the start of 2017, Duterte summoned mayors and governors to Malacañang to warn them against getting involved in illegal drug trafficking.
When he was Mayor of Davao City, Duterte ordered a top to bottom revamp at the Business Bureau after receiving reports of spurious transactions.
Duterte also previously announced that his marching orders to Interior Undersecretary and now officer-in-charge Eduardo Año is to crack down on LGU officials who “allow corruption to thrive” in their localities.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.ph
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