As part of the housecleaning efforts in the bureaucracy, President Duterte is mulling to fire five government officials, including the government corporate counsel, for alleged corruption.
The President said he plans to “add more” in the list of officials to be sacked, reaffirming that he does not tolerate corruption in government.
“Maybe I’ll fire the corporate counsel tomorrow,” Duterte said during the ceremonial opening of an oil and gas facility in Alegria, Cebu last Saturday. “When I hired you, you already knew my character. I told you, ‘Don’t. Don’t be corrupt because corruption is a not vice of mine,” he added.
Rudolf Philip Jurado, former lawyer of an anti-crime and -corruption advocacy group, currently heads the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel. He was appointed to the post last April 2017.
Recently, Jurado reportedly opposed the approval of a House bill abolishing the OGCC and merging its functions with the Office of the Solicitor General.
In another speech in Cebu City, the President announced that more government officials would be sacked due to corruption.
“I’m inclined to fire somebody…I’d just want to talk to him before I do that. Itong isang undersecretary,” Duterte said before an assembly of local chief executives in Cebu City. “Isabay ko na sila lahat – and they are about five in the list. I’d like to add more. Sabi ko sa kanila, I will stop corruption and I’m doing it,” he added. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)