(FILE) MAR ROXAS thanks his supporters at a gathering in Cebu City. CHRISTIAN MANINGO/CEBU DAILY NEWS
MANILA, Philippines — Former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Thursday dismissed the corruption claims of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte in his taped address on Tuesday brought up an old Commission on August report flagging the use of P7 billion funds by the Department of Interior and Local Government under Roxas, who served as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) from 2012 to 2015.
“Para sa akin ay patutsada lang ‘yan eh, mga diversion, drama. Kung hindi nila masagot ang lehitimo yung P67-B, maghahalungkat ng datihang bagay na nasagot naman,” Roxas told Teleradyo.
(For me those are just innuendos, diversion, and drama. If they can’t answer the P67 billion, they are digging up past cases that were already answered.)
Duterte has been defending the Department of Health, which has been facing criticisms after being flagged by COA for mismanaging some P67-B worth of COVID-19 funds.
Roxas said the Duterte administration should just focus on their jobs.
“Ganito pa rin tayo parang tsubibo paikot-ikot. Para sa akin gawin na lang nila ang trabaho nila. Atupagin nila kung ano ang dapat, pakainin nila ang mga tao,” he said.
(We’re like in a carousel going in circles. They should just do their jobs. They should just do what should be done, feed the people.)
Roxas said he had asked his staff if he was facing any charges from COA, Ombudsman, Sandiganbayan and other agencies and it turned out there was none.
“Wala ni isang sulat na naghahabol ng kahit anong katiting na pera. Malinis yung pamamalakad ng tanggapan ko at malinis ang kamay ko,” he said.
(There was no notice going after me. The management of my agency then was spotless. My hands are clean.)
“‘Di dumaan yang pera na yan sa kamay ko. Itong advances na ito ay napunta sa national government agencies. Kasi DILG ang sumasakop spero diretso sa agencies,” Roxas said.
(Those funds did not pass through me. Those advances went directly to the national government agencies under DILG.)
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