Duterte hits gov’t official over lavish travel expenses abroad

President Rodrigo Duterte has slammed a government official allegedly enjoying a lavish lifestyle by travelling abroad.

Duterte made the revelation during a dinner with the Philippine Air Force’s Dragon Boat Team on Tuesday night.

“May isang opisyal tayo dito sa gobyerno na tinignan namin ang travel. Hindi sa departamento ko, not the executive department. Kung mag-sakay ng eroplano, mag-abroad, first class, tapos ‘yung mga hotel niya, ‘yung mga suite. May isang presidential suite pa ang kinuha. P****. This will come out,” he said in a speech in Malacañang.

(There is an official in government whose travels we looked into. Not in my department, not the executive department. When this person rides an airplane going abroad, they ride first class, and they book hotel suites. This person even got a presidential suite. [Expletive] This will come out.)

The President said he was already looking into the validating the travel of the said government official.

President Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, said he was unaware the identity of the government official.

“Antayin na lang natin kung meron man. Pero linawin natin kung anuman ang nature ng pasaring,” Abella said.

(Let’s just wait if there is one. But let’s clarify what is the nature of this insinuation.)

He said it was best to wait for Duterte to make the revelation.

“Antayin na lang natin kung anong magiging malinaw (Let’s wait until it becomes clear),” he said. JE