PRRD renews appeal to public to report corruption in gov’t

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the People after holding a meeting with members of his cabinet and Senator Christopher Lawrence Go to discuss various updates at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse on November 10, 2020. KING RODRIGUEZ/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night reiterated his call to the public to report corruption activities in the government.

“Huwag ka lang magbigay ng pangalan. Ang ibigay mo ang opisina at iyong tingin mo magkano at ‘yung tao. Ikaw, una ka na. Mag-report ka lang doon pa sa tao na (Don’t give names. Just give the office and how much was stolen. Just report it to a person) whom you trust,” he said.

In a taped public address, Duterte offered a PHP10,000 reward for any information regarding corrupt practices in the processing of permits.

“Ang hiningi ko lang ang opisina at kung magkano. Ako na ang mag-follow up at saka ‘yung medyo maliliit, 10,000. Iyong permit mo, ‘pag inabot ng isang buwan, dalawang linggo, corruption talaga ‘yan (All I’m asking is the office and how much. I’ll be the one to follow it up and the small ones, 10,000. If your permit took a month, two weeks, that’s really corruption),” he said.

He said permits “should be done on the day of the application.”

Duterte also said he would give PHP20,000 every month to any person who could monitor corrupt activities within departments, agencies, or offices.

“I would place there maybe a camera or human intelligence na lang — pinakamaganda (that’s best). Bayaran ko na lang kung nandiyan ka (I’ll pay you if you’re there). I’ll give you PHP20,000 a month just to tell me who the guys are,” he added.

Last Nov. 10, Duterte offered a reward of PHP50,000 or PHP100,000 to anyone who could give him information on government officials engaged in corruption.

Before his appeal, he bared a list of personnel from the Bureau of Internal Revenue who have been dismissed for alleged corruption.

Duterte read aloud the names of BIR personnel as part of his promise to intensify his fight against corruption.

“There’s an ongoing purge sa gobyerno ngayon (in the government now). Sabi ko nga (I said) maybe during the last year of my term, I’ll do nothing except to go after people who are into graft and corruption. Marami na po tayong napaalis, about almost 300 na (I have fired so many, almost 300),” he said.

He said it was up to the Office of the Ombudsman to determine if criminal complaints would be filed against the concerned BIR personnel.

In earlier speeches, Duterte also named personnel from the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Immigration.