Duterte repeats warning to gov’t workers against frequent trips abroad

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at the launching of the Malasakit Programs for Visayas by unveiling the Malasakit Center dedication plate at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. (Photo from an RTVM video)

CEBU CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte has repeated his warning to government officials against going out of the country often to attend conferences and summits using taxpayers’ money.

In his speech during the inauguration of the Malasakit Help Desk at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City on Monday afternoon, President Duterte expressed disappointment over the rise in the number of officials frequently attending international conferences.

“Climate change in Africa conference. Climate change in Canada. You go there for the conference. Climate change nga. Tapos tayo dito sa Pilipinas lumabas na yung isang bagyo binubuntot pa tayo nang isa,” he said.

[But here in the Philippines, one typhoon is going out, another one is coming in.]

“Ayun, lahat nang mga tao interesado lang pumunta doon. Kaya ayun, ubos na ang pera ng gobyerno,” he added.

[Everyone is interested in going there. That’s why the money of the government is depleted.]

He warned that if he would catch a government official who was often out of the country to attend conference, “patay ka.”

[You’re dead.]

Duterte said he had even controlled travels by requiring everybody “including the janitor” to explain in writing why there was a need to travel abroad.

“Kapag lumabas ka, gastos mo, no problem,” he said.

[If you go out of the country and you pay for it, no problem,”

“Just say that I’m going out, I’m using my own money,” he said.

But if it would be government spending for the travel, he added, officials should submit a report to justify the trip. /atm