MANILA, Philippines — There is no reason why the government could not take action and end red tape before President Rodrigo Duterte finishes his term in 2022, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Thursday.
Cayetano met with the President on Wednesday along with House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and Senator Bong Go to discuss red tape and corruption in government.
“Congress will continue to follow the President’s lead, and with the good relationship between the Senate, the House of Representatives, and Malacañan, there is no reason why we cannot do this now, and end red tape before the end of the President’s Term in 2022,” he said in a Facebook post.
Cayetano said the President was very clear that the “enemy” during this pandemic is not only the virus but also the “heartless bureaucracy” that has burdened the lives of Filipinos.
“Decades of mismanagement [have] bred inefficiency, corruption, and graft in a system that is meant to serve the public. Hindi na pwede ‘yung hirap na nga sa COVID, pababalik-balikin pa para sa pirma ng mga opisyal,” he said.
(Decades of mismanagement [have] bred inefficiency, corruption, and graft in a system that is meant to serve the public. It can no longer be that people are already suffering from COVID and then still be given the runaround for the signature of an official.)
“People need assistance and solutions — not more excuses, more hoops to jump through, and more problems,” he added.
The Philippine government should come together to craft “creative solutions” to the problem, Cayetano said.
“This is not the time to stand by the wayside. Time to pitch in. Every bit of help counts. Let’s fix government from inside and out,” he said.
Go earlier said Duterte is willing to be summoned in congressional hearings that would tackle bills seeking to cut red tape and corruption.