Labor Usec beat Duterte to the draw by resigning

Dominador Say–GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say would have been fired by President Rodrigo Duterte over corruption allegations had he not resigned on Tuesday, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Say announced his resignation on Tuesday apparently to spare Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III the accusations that he sided with employers on the issue of contractualization.

READ: Labor Usec resigns, denies promanagement raps 

But Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Say would have been sacked by Duterte over corruption allegations.

“You know to be candid, if Usec. Say did not resign, he would have been fired,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.

Asked about the President’s basis to fire Say, he said the former Labor official was involved in corruption.

“Corruption that the President knows about. Corruption relating to activities of labor recruiters, apparently, and the Department of Labor and Employment,” he said.

“I just have personal knowledge that if the resignation was not submitted, he would have been fired,” he said.

The President had earlier said in his speech that he has fired a “set of officials” to get rid of corruption in government.

“I was told already that he’s the next on the chopping block. But I was awaiting orders on when to announce it. I did not have to announce it, because he resigned,” Roque said.

“But it was important still to say it, because in his resignation letter he said it was a matter of difference over ‘endo’. Well, I was just awaiting instruction to make that announcement on Usec. Say,” he added.

He said Malacañang would now allow the Ombudsman to investigate Say.

“It’s the job of the Ombudsman now. I’m sure the matter will be relayed also to the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, but in the scheme of things, the Ombudsman must act on it,” he said.