President Rodrigo Duterte announced Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2017, that a cousin of his partner, Honeylet Avanceña, was among the commissioners of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor that he fired. SCREENGRAB FROM PCUP WEBSITE
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night revealed that a cousin of his partner Honeylet Avancena was among the commissioners of the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) that he fired.
Duterte was referring to Melissa Avanceña Aradanas.
“Pati siya tinanggal ko, but I told my wife, ‘You call your cousin and say, alis sila,” he said during the Christmas Party with members of the Malacañang media.
The President dismissed insinuations that Melissa’s appointment to government was a case of nepotism.
“Forget it, we are not married. It does not apply. Only when you are married. At saka malayo na,” he said.
Duterte earlier said he would fire officials of a commission due to corruption allegations. He said he didn’t care if only one or two officials were involved in dubious activities but said he would fire them all.
On Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the President fired all PCUP commissioners because they had not met as a collegial body and that the commissioners were notorious for junkets abroad.
“This kind of work performance has no place in the Duterte administration,” Roque said. /cbb