(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte was “quite open and frank” in questioning Interior Secretary Mike Sueno during Monday’s Cabinet meeting before he was sacked.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday that Duterte’s questioning started “almost at the beginning of the meeting.”
“The President was asking if (Sueno) traveled abroad to this part, did he know the background of the situation. More or less along that line. He was interested in establishing whether or not the Secretary had engaged in certain activities,” he said.
Asked what these activities were, Abella said the public “deserve(d) to know in time.”
He said, however, that Sueno’s firing was due to “more than just the letter” sent by three DILG undersecretaries.
In the letter sent to Duterte, the high-ranking officials of the DILG accused Sueno of engaging in corruption.
Abella said Sueno’s dismissal “may to some extent” have something to do with a public transaction.
“Let’s leave the details, set the details aside for whatever actions to be taken later on..Here’s what I can tell. The President is aware that, apparently, he checked into the history of activities of the Secretary. That’s all I can tell you,” he said.
He said Duterte set aside the questioning for the subsequent duration of the meeting, which “took about several hours.”
He said during this meeting, another Cabinet secretary received “comments” from the President.
“It was only afterwards that (Duterte) made the closing statement…Basically, he said the Secretary (Sueno) was being let go,” Abella said.
He said right after, a “short exchange” ensued, “just a conversation” between Sueno and Duterte, and then “that was it.”
“The President will not countenance…even a whiff of corruption. May maamoy lang siya. We have to give him credit. Put it into context. He’s really trying to restore trust in the government…He is empowering the Filipinos once more by giving them a trustworthy government,” Abella said.
He said no names were so far being floated as Sueno’s replacement.
