“You failed miserably.”
With such candid assessment, President Duterte has lashed out at Bangko Sentral authorities for turning a blind eye on alleged money laundering in the country, even calling them “garbage” for trying to protect those involved in the illegal activity.
The President did not mince words against the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Anti-Money Laundering Council for their alleged negligence, warning them to cooperate with the Department of Justice in probing money laundering activities or else he would make their lives difficult.
“I’d like to address myself to the Central Bank guys and the AMLC. Alam mo, I’d like to warn you, to avoid a confrontation between us, Central Bank people,” the President said during the 80th anniversary rites of the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila.
“The Secretary of Justice now says that you are hard to deal with. You better go to the Secretary of Justice or I will go to you. I will call for you and you have to answer so many questions to me,” he said.
Dismayed by the unhelpful BSP and AMLC, Duterte emphasized it was imperative that “we cooperate in this government as a Republic to protect and preserve our people.”
“Do not make it hard for us otherwise I will make it hard for you. Simply I said, you failed miserably,” the President said.
The President has trained his sights on the BSP and AMLC as he revealed the government was looking into the financial records of a person apparently involved in laundering billions of pesos in the country.
Without giving any name, Duterte said this person has apparently created a corporation just to clean dirty money that has so far reached R5.1 billion.
“There are billions stashed there in the banks where they are being washed or kept there in the meantime. Go to the Secretary of Justice, the AMLC guys, explain to us in public or I will do the explaining for you,” the President said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)