Corruption-prone offices to be put under Office of the President

CEBU CITY – President Duterte is pushing for his plan to place some offices “prone to corruption” directly under the Office of the President.

He, however, declined to name these offices, adding that he would make the revelation during his next Cabinet meeting.

“Kung sabihin ko ngayon, masaktan ang Secretary na matatamaan. We have a cabinet meeting coming up. I will also have my command conference and that would be the time that I would be ready to declare, out of respect sa kanila,” he said during an ambush interview in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Thursday evening.

The President said the move was what he meant when he wanted “radical changes” to happen when he arrived in the Philippines from South Korea last Tuesday.

He clarified that he did not mean to declare martial law in the whole country.

“No. Martial law is not feasible. It won’t work. First of all, it’s going to be a divided nation,” he said.

The President was in Cebu to lead the inauguration of the P17.5 billion Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Mindanao has been under martial law since May 2017 following the Marawi siege. On the other hand, the whole country was already under a state of emergency since September 2016 after the bombing incident at a night market in Davao City.

He explained that despite martial law in Mindanao, it is just an “ordinary day” for people in Davao. He said there are no soldiers roaming and there are no abuses.

What made martial law “unpopular,” he added was the “unbridled and unfettered” abuses committed during the Marcos regime.

“That cannot happen in my time. I will simply not allow it. This presidency, I put everything on the table – the presidency itself, my life, and honor,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the President also slammed former Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno whose camp criticized the President for “recycling” officials who have been fired by the administration, adding it’s just “gimmickry.

He added that it would be a joke if people are thinking that he would “recycle” Sereno.

“Ako, I place people to their appropriate capacity. It doesn’t mean I transfer you from one to another … It may be a revamp. But it does not mean to say may kasalanan ka,” he said in the same ambush interview.

He described Sereno as a “lost cause” and thinks she owns the Supreme Court.

“I don’t believe her. And I don’t respect her also. Puro gimmick eh. Siya yung gumigimmick, kami yung nagtatrabaho. Kami sige trabaho, sige sila criticize,” he said.

The President questioned what significant contribution Sereno had in governance or any decision she has made.

“What have they contributed to the betterment of the country except indulge in politics,” he added.