(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday revealed he had fired another government official, an undersecretary, only days after he sacked a member of his Cabinet.
Duterte made the revelation during a speech at the Grand Harvest Festival of the Seh Leng Agritech Corporation in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.
“Sabi ko kanina..tawagan mo..She’s fired. So pangalawa siya,” he said.
The first official who was sacked this week was Department of the Interior and Local Government chief Mike Sueno.
Duterte had cited a “loss of confidence and trust” in dismissing the man who had also encouraged him to run for the presidency.
During his speech, Duterte did not name the sacked official but said she was in a holdover capacity.
He also did not say which department she belonged to.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol, however, later said that Undersecretary Maia Chiara Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary had been sacked by Duterte.
Valdez had reportedly overturned the National Food Authority’s decision to suspend rice importation because it was still the harvest season.
“I was appalled by (the undersecretary). Nireview niya lang ang decision ni Jason Aquino na dineny ang importation (of rice). Historya historya na gustong magbigay. It was appealed dun mismo sa Malacanang. Office of the President yan…Napag-usapan namin sa chopper kanina. Sabi ko anong mukha na iharap ko sa farmers. Why would we allow importation (of rice) to compete with the local product?” he said.
Aquino is the current NFA administrator.
Two more undersecretaries to be sacked
“Of course di natuloy (yung importation of rice) kasi binara ko. Sabi ko stop…Open market na tayo you know (but) you have to protect the Filipino,” he said.
Duterte also said two more undersecretaries would be fired within the week.
He, however, did not name these, nor say in which agency they worked.
“Bale mamaya meron nang mga five (fired) in a week,” he said.
“Di ako magdadalawang isip maski kaibigan kita…This is my last hurrah…Ang sa akin, trabaho lang. I’m 72,” he added.
