NOTING that intelligence and discretionary funds were the easiest to pocket, President Duterte said he planned to create a special team to look into how local officials used their allocations.
Mr. Duterte bared his plan in Davao City Friday night as he lamented that the country’s streets were strewn with garbage and local officials were not doing their jobs of keeping their areas clean.
“The Philippines is so dirty, the mayors are not doing anything,” Mr. Duterte said in his remarks at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office in Davao City.
“There is trash and garbage around and yet we have to wait for the plastic to enter the drainage so every time there’s a downpour, excessive rain, water, there is clogging,” he said.
Governors and mayors have discretionary and intelligence funds at their disposal, he noted.
“I will look into it. I will create a special team. I will review your intelligence funds as well. Those are the easiest to pocket,” he said.
He said local officials were being paid to do a job, and this included ridding the streets of trash.
“The mayors who are not performing, you make your city clean and peaceful. That is why you are being paid, that is why you are in your beautiful offices,” he said.
He lamented that these local officials who were not performing instead had fancy furniture and cars.
“Have you no shame?” he added.