(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte declared all government positions with presidential appointees vacant in a press conference around 1 a.m. on Sunday. He said this was to further cleanse the government of corruption and ineptness.
The declaration however did not cover secretary and undersecretaries.
“If you are there because of the presidential appointments, I will declare all your positions all throughout the country vacant. You know why? Until now, in my provincial visits, I still hear corruption being committed by people especially in the regulatory agencies,” he said.
The President made special mention of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB). These two agencies had been on his list of most corrupt agencies in government.
A few hours after the announcement, LTO chief Edgar Galvante said that he would leave his post.
In his press conference, the President said: “The LTO and those who are appointed to that positions of LTO except the career, consider your positions vacant as of this hour. All of them…lahat (all). It will number in thousand. Consider yourself in the crucible of truth about corruption in this country.”
He said he continues to receive complaints regarding these agencies, and this has irritated him.
“If I go there everyday, I would not have time to be President and sit there and make crucial decisions for the country. So I will declare all the positions — there are the assistants. 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.
“If I go there once, twice, and still I hear about complaints, and if you are a presidential appointee, meaning to say I appointed you or you were appointed by the previous president, but the appointing authority has the power to appoint and the power to dismiss, without any reason, except that loss of confidence in your ability to deliver your mandate,” he added.
