DILG CHIEF FIRED OVER CORRUPTION
President Duterte cites loss of trust, confidence
President Rodrigo Duterte fired Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno over alleged corruption, sending a clear signal that he does not tolerate irregularities even among his close allies.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President cited loss of trust and confidence in Sueno when he announced the dismissal after a Cabinet meeting on Monday.
“The President had earlier asked a few questions on Mr. Sueno but the summary dismissal served as a warning that Mr. Duterte would not countenance any questionable or legally untenable decisions by any member of the Cabinet,” he added.
“The President is interested in establishing whether or not this Secretary has engaged in certain activities,” Abella said in a press briefing Tuesday.
“Apparently, the President has done due diligence and so he has checked into the matter. And apparently, he has taken note of several legally untenable situations.”
Vetting
Duterte reportedly received a confidential letter from the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte - National Executive Coordinating Committee, a national volunteer organization which helped Duterte’s presidential bid.
It was not the first time that Duterte dismissed a trusted government official. The President earlier said he instructed former National Irrigation Administration adminis- trator Peter Laviña, who was also accused of irregularities, to resign.
In the confidential letter, Sueno was accused of collecting money from illegal gambling rings through a certain Senior Superintendent Sintin and of using his position as head of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to enrich himself.
Sueno, who was also among the key persons who convinced Duterte to run for president last year, denied the allegations, but said he respected the President’s decision.
“I wholeheartedly accept the decision of the President. It is his call if he wants me in his Cabinet or not. But for the record, Mr. President, and I can say this with all honesty and sincerity, hindi po ako (I am not) corrupt,” he said in a statement.
Sueno said the allegations were part of a “black propaganda” initiated by three undersecretaries – John Castriciones, Jesus Hinlo, and Emily Padilla -- who were upset by his recent order to reassign some of the workload and projects to the other undersecretaries.
Sueno said he owns the farm that the group listed among his properties. But he denied ownership of a hotel in South Cotabato, which he said belongs to his younger brother.
He said the cargo trucks are owned by his daughter who is engaged in a trucking and rice business.
Sueno said Tuesday he is ready to face any investigation to clear his name.
“My conscience is clear. Inu- ulit ko po, wala akong ginawa o ginagawang anomalya (I repeat, I have not committed any irregularity),” he said.
“I just wished the information was validated. If only the President asked DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) personnel from the central down to the regional and field offices, he would have known who amongst us are more credible and trustworthy,” he added.
One of the issues raised against Sueno was the alleged anomalous payment of the Rosenbauer firetrucks. The Bureau of Fire Protection is an agency under the DILG.
Sueno said there was no way that he could have prevented the purchase of the firetrucks because it was a perfected contract entered into by the previous administration.
Obligation
“My role was to abide by the provision of the contract which says that I should ensure that the firetrucks to be delivered are in good condition so my team and I had to go to Austria to inspect them. If we did not do that, we cannot anymore complain if they delivered defective firetrucks to us,” he said.
Sueno said the firetrucks were financed by a soft loan payable in 23 years.
“The Austrian firetrucks are new ones compared to the locally-made ones which are cheaper but are reconditioned and which are good only for a few years. But then again, this is beside the point. The contract is perfected and I only had to implement it,” he said.
A petition seeking to stop the implementation of the contract is pending with the Supreme Court. Sueno said no temporary restraining order nor a status quo ante has been issued by the court.
He said that the truth will prevail in the end.
“What goes around comes around. I hope that they (referring to his detractors) will do better than I did in the DILG. I may be old, I may not be as articulate as my three lawyer-undersecretaries, but if there is one thing that I am sure of is I am not corrupt,” he said.