Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
SO WHO’S in and who’s out?
Even Malacañang was at a loss as to whom among the presidential appointees should immediately yield their posts after President Duterte ordered that they step down.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said they had yet to receive a written order regarding Mr. Duterte’s directive which caught even his own appointees by surprise.
“This (President’s order) refers to appointees of the past administration… It does not apply to the current appointees,” Abella said.
Asked if ambassadors appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III would be recalled, he said: “I really don’t know.”
Mr. Duterte ordered appointees heading government agencies to leave after receiving information that irregularities persisted even after his stern warning against corruption in office.
The President specifically mentioned the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as the two agencies where corruption was still rife.
“Those who were appointed to the LTO, except the career (officers), consider your positions vacant as of this hour,” he said in an early morning press conference in Davao City over the weekend.
LTO chief Edgar Galvante and LTFRB Chair Martin Delgra III said they were ready to vacate their posts, pending an official memorandum from the President.
Galvante admitted in an interview on Monday that in the almost two months that he had been at the helm of the agency, efforts to curb corruption had been put in place but these may have not been enough.
“Probably the pace of change needed [in the agency] didn’t meet the expectation [of the President],” Galvante said.
Complaints from regions
The LTO chief said that during his short stint, illegal activities that had long plagued the agency, like fixers, had been curbed, especially in the central office, but the same could not be said in the regional offices since his office still received complaints.
Delgra, on the other hand, said that to eliminate corruption in his agency, he issued Memorandum Order No. 2016-002 prohibiting LTFRB employees “from soliciting and receiving gifts from the transacting public.” Regional consultations were also conducted “to assess the situation in the regions.”
Western Visayas LTO director Dennis Singson vacated his post yesterday and turned over the functions of his office to Assistant Regional Director Nanette Deocampo.
“We are waiting for a formal directive but I have assumed his functions,” Deocampo said.
Operations at the agency, which has 180 employees in the region, remained normal and unhampered by the change in leadership, according to Deocampo.
Romulo Bernardes, LTFRB Western Visayas director, remained at his job yesterday, saying he was not covered by the President’s order.
Bernardes said he holds the rank of Career Executive Service Officer V in the civil service. But he could be transferred to another region.
In Eastern Visayas, the regional directors of various national line agencies continued to hold office.
But Arthur Saipudin and Napol Garcia, Eastern Visayas directors of the LTFRB and LTO respectively, were not in their offices yesterday when the Inquirer checked.
Director of 2 offices
An LTFRB employee, who asked not to be named, said Saipudin was still at the LTFRB regional office in Zamboanga where he has been holding office in concurrent capacity since December.
“As far as we know, he is still our regional director,” the employee said.
Garcia was at an official function outside his office.
Sol Orcullo, manager of the Government System Insurance Service (GSIS), said the President’s pronouncement was not surprising.
“We have been expecting it as with every change of administration, there is a change of leadership in our office,” Orcullo said.
She said the GSIS president and the entire board of directors had tendered their resignations but remained in holdover capacities.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair Roberto Garcia said he was abiding by President Duterte’s order.
Garcia’s term as SBMA chair and administrator ended on June 30 but he was serving in holdover capacity until his replacement is appointed.
“I submitted [my] resignation on June 30… [It is] important that a new administrator is appointed soon so the SBMA can move forward,” he said. Reports from Marlon Ramos and Jovic Yee in Manila; Joey A. Gabieta and Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas; and Allan Macatuno and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon