Duterte fires all Nayong Pilipino officials

Updated 4 p.m.

President Rodrigo Duterte has fired all board members of Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) over a “grossly disadvantageous” 70-year property lease contract, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Duterte had expressed “exasperation” to Cabinet members during a meeting on Monday night that “corruption continues under his administration.”

“He cited the case of Nayong Pilipino leased government property for a [ridiculously] long period of time, 70 years, beyond the lifetime of anyone, and he considered this as a contract which was grossly disadvantageous to the government,” Roque said in a press briefing.

READ: Nayong Pilipino chair to abide by Duterte’s decision; denies any wrongdoing

“He, therefore, announced that he was sacking all members of the board and management of Nayong Pilipino,” he said.

Roque, however, declined to disclose further details on what contract the President was referring to when he decided to fire the Nayong Pilipino officials.

“He did not say. Basta, in fact, he did not even specify,” the Presidential Spokesperson said.

“It was a contract that originally was 70, reduced to 50, now reduced to 25, but the rental payment was still unconscionable. But he was exasperated. He started the meeting with a general expression of exasperation,” he said.

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In addition, Roque said that the firing of all Nayong Pilipino officials served as a warning to all Cabinet members.

“It was also a warning to all in the Cabinet na it’s a continuing campaign,” he said. /kga