Duterte tells erring cops to resign or retire before he takes over gov’t

Presumptive president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY – Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has asked erring policemen with pending cases in court to “resign or retire” before he assumes office or he will send them to Sulu to face the Abu Sayyaf Group there.

He also told government officials and employees to “shape up,” and “be courteous to the public,” as he vowed to make the bureaucracy more efficient and eliminate delays in the processing of papers and documents. “Kahit wala kang ngipin, try to save some money para sa pustiso, you smile,” Duterte said.

“Resign or retire,” Duterte told policemen with pending cases in court. “Those who are already contaminated and you should know who you are, those with pending cases, even the generals and you know who you are, resign or retire, bago pa ako umupo diyan (even before I can sit there), because I hate to name you publicly and ask you to resign,” Duterte said.

“Yung may mga (those who have) cases, alis na (leave), I do not care kung wala pang (if there’s no) judgment (yet), pag hindi (if not), I plan to invade Jolo, sa (in the) lair ng (of the) Abu Sayyaf,” he said, “Prepare now for combat duty there, kayo ang uutusan ko at kung kayo ang ma-hostage doon, say your our father’s name because I will never, never pay to retrieve you.”

Duterte also told government officials and employees in the bureaucracy to “shape up” and be courteous to the public.

The tough-talking mayor who will assume the presidency on June 30, asked Congress to stop the current practice of insulting public officials summoned to testify in Congress.

“Be courteous, be respectful to the public because it’s the public who is paying for your salary,” Duterte said, as he vowed to eliminate delays in the processing of papers in the bureaucracy. “H’wag kang mahiya kahit wala kang ngipin, smile,” he said.

He also said power can easily get into the head of some people occupying positions in government, as he cited a mayor in Metro Manila, who threatened to close down a fast food chain just because he was not recognized by the waiters there.

“Who are you to be recognized, why do you think of oppressing the person just because he does not know you, and who are you to be known?” Duterte asked.

Duterte told Congress he would not tolerate the current practice by congressmen of insulting executive department officials summoned to testify in congressional hearings.

“I would like to plead to Congress to be more circumspect,” Duterte said, “I was once upon a time a Congressman and I should know, in the way you treat the bureau directors, Cabinet members, witnesses, pati mga police generals, sinisigaw sigawan nyo (generals too, you shout at them), I will not allow it,” he said.

He recalled how former Armed Forces chief Angelo Reyes, investigated by Congress for the money send-off controversy involving retiring military generals, once asked senators for a chance to clear his name, and save his “honor and dignity).  “He got the reply from (Senator Antonio) Trillanes (IV) who said, “You have no right to answer, you have no dignity,”‘ recalled Duterte.

“H’wag nyong gawin iyan sa mga (Don’t do that to the) generals, especially when they represent me,” Duterte said, adding that he was expecting a lot of investigations and insinuations in the fight against criminality. “Tumabi muna kayo (Step aside) and do not insult people just because you are there,” he said.  “Nothing is added to your privilege or right.  Who are you, where in the Constitution does it say that Congress has the right to insult people?” he asked.

“Do not do that to the witnesses from the executive department, I will not allow it.  If you want their presence there, good, be courteous to them, be civil,” he said.

“When you start to insult them, I’ll tell them umuwi kayo (you come home), do not appear there, we will have a stalemate and you’ll create a constitutional crisis,” Duterte said.

He also vowed to make the bureaucracy more efficient by eliminating delays in the processing of papers and documents.

“(For the processing of) clearances, electricity connection (permits), I will give you 72 hours,” Duterte said. “After 72 hours you are no longer allowed to release the documents or paper, you have to forward the papers to me and I will ask you why it took you more than three days to process the documents,” he said.

He said he wanted to replicate the system, already existing in Davao City, and the reason for Davao City’s competitiveness in terms of ease of doing business, to the whole country.  (With a report from Dennis Santos, Inquirer Mindanao)  SFM