The President said he would not back down from his anti-corruption campaign as he appealed anew to erring public servants to quietly leave the government.
“Kaya ‘yang corruption, ‘pag ganun alis ka. Well, I’ll give you time,” Duterte said during an assembly of school principals in Davao City.
“Those who are into it now, in government, published or otherwise, may you have the sense just to tender the resignation,” he added.
Duterte admitted that he does not like firing erring government officials in public to spare their families from embarrassment.
“I do not want kasi ‘yung iba noon. I realized that there was this one guy that I fired. Tapos when I started to read the report, may mga anak na abogado, may anak na doktor,” he said.
“And I am not fond of really insulting people in government. You’d never see na ako mag-insulto ganun sa publiko. Tawagin kita, doon sa likod. ‘Yan, budyakan kita doon,” he added.
The President also issued a stern reminder to policemen involved in corruption and illegal drug trade, saying they should also quit the service or else possibly face death.
“Sabi ko, corruption, drugs. ‘Di talaga pwede. Hindi ko masikmura ‘yan. Kaya kung sinong nakikinig na may kilala, umalis ka na. Mamatay ka talaga. Anak ng p**** i**, mamatay ka talaga,” he said.
The President has embarked on a firing spree in the bureaucracy, weeding out government officials alleged involved in corruption or neglect of duty.
The latest official dismissed by the President was Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say over corruption allegations.
Duterte recently claimed that Say lied about the reason behind his removal from office. Say tendered resignation last month over an alleged disagreement with the labor department about illegal contractualization. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)