MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s move to sack alleged corrupt government officials is not a publicity stunt, his spokesman said Tuesday.
This was Presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s response to the statement of ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno that Duterte dismissed officials without letting them face the court.
“Tingin ko kinakailangan na ng psychosocial assistance itong Chief Justice na ito. Paano naman magiging for show ‘yun ‘e nawawalan ng trabaho ang mga tao (I think this Chief Justice needs psychosocial assistance. How can the firing of officials be for show, people are losing jobs)?” Roque said in a press briefing in Seoul, South Korea.
Roque stressed that Duterte has expressed sadness about letting go of some officials allegedly involved in corruption or misconduct, especially those who supported his presidential campaign in 2016.
“Wala pong gimmick dito, dahil ang mga nasesesante ay ‘yung pinaka malalapit kay Presidente lalo na nung panahon nung kampanya at wala pong makakapag deny niyan (There’s no gimmick here because the people being fired are those very close to the President especially during the campaign period and nobody can deny that),” he added.
Sereno, in a TV interview, said that Duterte should set the example of following the rule of law by filing cases against these alleged corrupt officials and not just merely sacking them.
Roque, however, said that the filing of cases against alleged corrupt officials was not the President’s job but the Ombudsman’s.
‘Yung hindi pagsasampa ng kaso, hindi naman katulungkulan ng Presidente ‘yun ‘no, nasa Ombudsman ‘yan at mahaba yung proseso bago maisampa yung kaso (The filing of charges is not the President’s Roque said.
He pointed out that contrary to what Sereno thinks, cases are being filed against alleged corrupt officials.
“Isa-isa namang nasasampahan din ng kaso ‘yan, ‘no? So bakit niya sasabihin na hindi nasasampahan ng kaso (They are being filed with charges, one by one. So why would she say that there’s no filing of charges)? Roque said.
Roque, meanwhile, urged Sereno to be “more circumspect” when it comes to making such remarks.
“I understand the amount of pressure that she’s subjected to. Take it easy, ma’am. Mahaba pa po itong laban na ito (it’s a long fight) but meanwhile, let’s be more circumspect,” Roque said.
Duterte has repeatedly mentioned that he would not think twice of sacking government officials involved in even a “whiff of corruption.”
Among the most recent officials Duterte has fired is Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) President Celestina Ma. Jude dela Serna over issues of excessive travels. (Azer Parrocha/PNA)
