Palace: Duterte excludes NBI in reshuffle of gov’t execs

The NBI headquarters in Manila. (File photo / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday clarified that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is not included in the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to reshuffle officials in various government agencies.

“Mayroon lang po akong text sa ating bubwit. Ang sabi po ng aking bubwit, yung tinutukoy na reshuffling kagabi ay reshuffling sa Customs at sa PhilHealth, hindi po kasama ang NBI. Itago po natin ang aking bubwit sa pangalang Senator Bong Go,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.

(I have a text message from a mouse. What the mouse told me was that the reshuffling tackled last night only involves Customs and PhilHealth, NBI is not included. Let’s just describe the mouse’s name as Senator Bong Go.)

During the President’s taped speech aired Monday night, he mentioned a reshuffling in three agencies—the Bureau of Customs, PhilHealth and NBI.

“I want to see a reshuffle of the different regional offices within the next two or three days. That goes for the NBI pati PhilHealth,” Duterte said.

Duterte also said he will order a reshuffle at the BOC, even saying he wants the agency’s chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero to “kill” those involved in illegal drugs that continue to enter the country.

Roque said the aim in reshuffling officials is to ensure that our people in government will not be complacent with their positions and to prevent them from having this so-called “debt of gratitude.”

“Hindi po puwede na sila ay maging komportable sa kanilang mga temporary assignments. Masyadong naguugat, pag nagugat, maraming utang ng loob which becomes a hindrance to discharge of their functions,” Roque said.

(They cannot be comfortable with their temporary assignments. This leads to the growing of roots and when this happens, there’s a debt of gratitude that becomes a hindrance to effectively discharge their functions.)

JPV