Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Thursday the president’s order of terminating the services of Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) administrator Marcial Quirico Amaro III due to reported excessive trips abroad.
According to Roque, last December 22, 2017, the Office of the President (OP)received a complaint coming from the employees of MARINA, saying that Amaro has had 11 foreign trips in 2017 alone.
The president ordered the investigation while the Department of Transportation (DOTr) handed to OP the list of the travel of Amaro.
WATCH: Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced the termination of Amaro
“It turns out that the complaint of the employees is wrong because while the employees said that Mr. Amaro made 11 trips in 2017 alone, the DOTr reported that Mr. Amaro, in fact made 18 official travel in 2017,” Roque said.
“In 2016, he had six — and a total of 24 travels (in the past two years),” he added..
With this, according to Roque, the president has decided to terminate the said official’s services.
Last Wednesday, January 3, Roque was supposed to announce the president’s decision to terminate Amaro, however, he said that Duterte gave him instructions to defer the announcement.
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Roque said that Duterte was still reviewing MARINA’s legislative charter.
Presidential Decree No 474, which created MARINA, states that the President “may remove the Administrator or Deputy Administrators from office for cause upon recommendation of the Board. (Tretch Melarpes – PTV)