MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to fire more corrupt government officials once he returns to Malacañang this week.
The President issued the warning in a speech in Iloilo City on Saturday night, even as he noted that reprimanding and suspending corrupt civil servants no longer work.
“That’s why when I get back, maybe tomorrow, I will be firing a lot of people simply for corruption,” the President said.
Delay in permits issuance
He said one form of corruption is when government officials delay the issuance of permits.
“To me, that is corruption. Nothing else. What that means is you want money so he has to go back and forth to you,” he said.
The President added: “That’s a warning. Even for you in the lower ranks, directors, everyone, national agencies. You only have 15 days to process [permits].”
In recent days, the President has repeatedly hinted that he would sack more government officials due to allegations of corruption.
He also reminded the public to report to him incidents of corruption in Malacañang.