Sweeping revamp
Duterte declares all appointive gov’t posts vacant
President Duterte declared vacant yesterday all positions with presidential appointees amid reports of continuing corruption in government offices despite his warnings.
“Consider yourself resigned,” Duterte told heads of various government agencies and of regional and provincial offices, announcing a major revamp in all government offices today.
The Chief Executive announced this in a televised early morning press conference at the presidential guesthouse at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Panacan, saying he wants to rid the government, as promised, of corrupt officials.
The number of positions to be affected by his order is more than a thousand, he said.
“If you are there because of presidential appointment, I will declare all your positions all throughout the country vacant,” Duterte said as he expressed disappointment
over reports that corruption persists in most government offices.
He singled out the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Regulatory and Franchising Board (LTFRB) where corruption, he said, is rampant and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for its inefficiency to act immediately on loans.
The President recalled how his mother, the late Nanay Soling, applied for loans which sometimes were “not acted on or came late.” “You know we are not the sons and daughters of well-connected and moneyed (individuals). My mother was a teacher. She used to borrow money. The application sometimes was not acted upon or came late. You go to Indian money lenders,” he said.
“Until now in my provincial visits I still hear corruption being committed especially in the regulatory agencies,” he stated.
Thus, he said, all those holding appointive positions, “except the career, consider your positions vacant as of this hour.”
“All of them. Lahat. It will number in the thousands. Consider yourself in the crucible of the truth about corruption in this country,” the President said.
To prevent a vacuum which may result in the disruption of operations of government agencies, the President named the deputies as officers-in-charge. They are to automatically assume the vacated position until a new appointment is issued.
“There’s always a deputy or even the first clerk, they can take over until such time I decide whether I will dispose of you or not,” he said.
As for the LTFRB officials, Duterte said he wants them “to report (to him) at his convenience, maybe this week.”
The President stressed that he is serious on his move to rid the government of corruption. He also mentioned the “laglag bala” bullet-planting incidents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) which were widely done in the past.
In Malacañang, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Martin Andanar clarified that Cabinet secretaries are not covered by the President’s order. “Ang sinabi po ng ating Presidente,hindi po kasama yung Cabinet secretaries, dahil mga bago ang mga Cabinet secretaries na appointed,” he said in a radio interview with Radyo ng Bayan.
Andanar said he will clarify with Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea if constitutional bodies are covered by the President’s declaration. “Hindi ko po tiyak kung kasama, kasi mayroon mga constitutional bodies. Mayroon din mga offices na may term.”
Career officers
Andanar allayed fears that declaring over 1,000 appointive positions vacant will paralyze the operations of the government agencies.
“I think our bureaucracy is strong. It can stand even without the leaders. We have the deputies. We have career officers. There is no problem, the government can function,” he said.
The PCO chief also downplayed perception that the President does not accept criticisms about his policies.
DOLE performance audit
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it will comply with the new directive of President Duterte ordering the removal of all presidential appointees from their current posts, once it finally takes effect.
Duterte is expected to make the issuance today after he announced in a press conference yesterday morning that he will call for the mass revamp in an attempt to rid the government of corruption.
In a text message, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III disclosed he will abide by Duterte’s new initiative as soon as he receives the results of the performance audit of all officials in DOLE. “We will first see the result of our performance audit, which will come out by end of August,” Bello said. (With reports from Samuel Medenilla and PNA)