(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte said he had offered to resign from the presidency because he is already exhausted and had realized that he cannot stop corruption.
“Ewan ko kung sabihin ko ito sa inyo, I offered to resign as president. Kasi nagsasawa na ako. In my years of government, wala ng katapusang ito,” President Duterte said in his address to the nation on Monday night, Sept. 28. He however did not give any details as to when he offered to resign.
He recalled how corruption has been there in government, and how he had observed and prosecuted those committing corruption when he was still a prosecutor for the Tanod Bayan, which is the precursor of the Ombudsman.
He said that corruption persists, including the controversial “pastillas” scheme at the Bureau of Immigration. The term pastillas in the corruption scheme referred to the way bribe money is offered and accepted, where it is rolled up and covered in paper, similar to a pastillas candy.
“Talagang wala nang katapusan itong corruption. Mahirap talaga pigilin. Pastillas, hanggang ngayon. Even with the investigation or clamor, and the threat for govt to shake tree, it’s being committed every day,” Duterte said.
“Can you stop it? You cannot? There is no way, I am telling you,” he said.
The 75-year old Philippine leader recalled his experience as a Davao City prosecutor in the 1970s up to the 1980s.
Duterte became a Special Counsel at the City Prosecution Office in Davao City from 1977 to 1979, Fourth Assistant City Prosecutor from 1979 to 1981, Third Assistant City Prosecutor from 1981 to 1983, and Second Assistant City Prosecutor from 1983 to 1986, before becoming a mayor of Davao City, a position for which has been elected several times.
“In my experience as a Prosecutor in the Tanodbayan noon. I was a special prosecutor for the tanondbayan, predecessor ng Ombudsman, at the same time city prosecutor for Davao City. I was sent out of Davao City to prosecute cases outside of my jurisdiction,” he said.
“Wala. Hanggang ngayon, nandyan pa rin,” he said referring to the corruption, citing the Land Registration Authority as one of the government agencies where corruption has been rampant even when he was still prosecutor.
He said that the LRA is “notorious” for corruption even before in the provinces.
“Mag imbento ng mga pekeng dokumento. Marami yan,” he said.
Duterte said he prosecuted seven cases involving the LRA before.
(Eagle News Service)
