President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at the seventh anniversary celebration of the public service show, “Buhay OFW,” at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (Photo from an RTVM video)
President Rodrigo on Wednesday night revealed he had fired a high-ranking government official, though he did not give the official’s name.
“I fired a high government official today. I will not mention his name because I do not want to shame the family,” Duterte said in a speech during the seventh anniversary celebration of the public service show, “Buhay OFW,” at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay.
The President has repeatedly said he would fire government officials even with just a “whiff” of corruption.
“Even a whiff, or a whisper, of corruption and you’re out,” Duterte warned government officials barely a week before he assumed the presidency in July last year.
Duterte has fired even his longtime allies and closest aides from the Cabinet.
Peter Laviña, who served as spokesman for Duterte during the 2016 national elections, was fired in February following corruption allegations at the National Irrigiation Administation (NIA). Laviña allegedly received 40 percent kickbacks from contractors.
This was followed by Duterte’s sacking of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno in April due to corruption allegations over the irregular purchase of the Rosenbauer firetrucks from Austria.
He also fired Cabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez in April 2017 for overruling National Food Authority Administrator Jason Aquino in his decision to suspend rice importation.
The chief executive also sacked Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Chairman Benjamin Reyes in May 2017 for contradicting the government’s official data on the number of drug addicts.
In October, Duterte fired Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Jose Vicente Salazar over allegations of corruption. /atm