Manila official quits over firing of aides for graft
MANILA: A close friend and political ally has resigned following the order of President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte for the dismissal of two of his aides over allegations of rampant corruption, a Malacanang Palace oficial conirmed.
Salvador Panelo, the presidential spokesman, said Secretary Jesus Dureza immediately resigned as the presidential adviser on the peace process under the concept of “command responsibility” when he learned about Duterte’s order dismissing his two aides.
Thetwoaideswereidentiiedasronald Flores, the undersecretary for support services and Donn Baccay, an assistant secretary, assigned to Dureza’s Ofice of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process based at Malacanang Palace.
Panelo also noted that Duterte himself revealed that he had accepted Dureza’s resignation in a speech during the inauguration of the new Panglao International Airport on the island province of Bohol late on Tuesday night.
“I am very sad that I accepted the resignation of Secretary Dureza,” Duterte said about his close friend and ally who was his high school classmate in Digos City in Davao del Sur province in Mindanao.
On Wednesday, Panelo commended Dureza for taking responsibility and apologising for the acts of his two aides who were dismissed for alleged rampant corruption in some projects undertaken by Dureza’s ofice which are related to the peace process.
“His resignation,” Panelo said, “has set a concrete example and gave particularly meaning to the value of ‘delicadeza’ and morality in governance. This is leadership by example.” Duterte himself described Flores and Baccay as “malikot” (frisky) who were alleged to have been involved in anomalies regarding an infrastructure and other projects that Dureza’s ofice has implemented in conlict-affected areas to complement the government’s peace initiatives.
Duterte ordered their dismissal as he ramped up his commitment to Filipinos to declare war on illegal drugs and rampant criminality as well as rid the bureaucracy of pervasive graft and corruption.
Recently, the president dismissed also for alleged corruption Falconi Millar, the chief of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), which is mandated to implement the government’s low-cost housing programme.