DOTr Asec Mark Tolentino dismissed

President Rodrigo Duterte included another government official on his chopping block as he fired Assistant Secretary Mark Tolentino of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) over his alleged dealing with a presidential relative, Malacañang announced this on Monday, May 21. (Photo: Atty. Mark Tolentino/Facebook)

President Rodrigo Duterte included another government official on his chopping block as he fired Assistant Secretary Mark Tolentino of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) over his alleged dealing with a presidential relative, Malacañang announced on Monday, May 21.

“Ang kasalanan po ni Asec Tolentino siya po ay nakipag-usap sa isang kamag-anak ng Presidente (Asec Tolentino’s mistake is he spoke with one of the President’s relatives),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press conference.

“Ang utos ng Presidente sa lahat ng taong gobyerno, huwag niyo pong kakausapin ang kahit sinong kamag-anak niya na meron pong gustong kahit anong kontrata or appointment sa gobyerno (The President’s order to government officials is to never talk to his relatives if they are after contracts or appointments in the government),” the spokesman noted.

Roque revealed that Tolentino’s alleged dealings involved a presidential sister; however, he refused to give further details regarding the matter.

“I do not know who is [the presidential sister Tolentino had dealings with]. Apparently, it is a presidential sister. So the message is the President is serious [in his pronouncement]: Do not even talk to them [presidential relatives] about any matter concerning government. You will get sacked if you do,” he stressed.

“If you talk to any of the relatives of the President, that’s a basis for your dismissal. May the dismissal of Assistant Secretary Mark Tolentino serve as an example,” he added.

The Transportation department welcomed this decision, saying that it should serve as a warning to other officials.

“The DOTr does not and will not tolerate such acts by its officials or employees. Namedropping and seeking the assistance of the President, his family, or any other influential individual, either for government projects or for personal gain, will never be tolerated,” it said in a statement.

Tolentino’s dismissal came after the latter accused DOTr officials of “derailing” the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP), saying that “those in the higher ups” want to borrow from a foreign company for the entire project, although it has an allocation of P36 billion in the 2018 national budget.

The DOTr, however, refuted this accusation, stressing that the project is “on track” and that the Phase 1 of the railway project will be completed in 2021 without delays and corruption.

The first phase of the MRP is expected to lessen the travel time from Tagum City, Davao del Norte to Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours.