For the nth time, President Rodrigo Duterte admitted in a speech at Malacañang that he told the military and the police during a command conference that he was growing tired of chasing corrupt government workers.
Duterte said, “Sinabi ko sa mga sundalo at sa mga pulis: Guys, I want you to know that I am thinking of stepping down because I’m tired. I am not angry with anybody. But my fight against graft and corruption seems to be endless, and it has contaminated almost all government departments and offices.”
Last Monday, Duterte just relieved 20 military officials, including top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), over alleged corruption activities such as anomalous and ghost projects at the V. Luna Medical Center in Quezon City.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte has ordered the relief of the officials after “it was brought to the President’s attention that alleged corruption activities have been taking place at the V. Luna Medical Center.”
Last week, the President fired all board members of Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) over a “grossly disadvantageous” 70-year property lease contract.
Apart from firing the entire board of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, Inc. (NPFI), the President has instructed a review of the Contract of Lease entered by NPFI with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC), which the Chief Executive described, in his own words, as ‘flawed’ and that it was entered into without public bidding and was disadvantageous to the government.
Even Nayong Pilipino Foundation board member Maria Fema Duterte, a distant relative of the President, was not spared from being fired.
In May, Fema Duterte filed a complaint against NPF chairperson Patricia Yvette Ocampo and other board members in relation to a lease agreement with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Landing International. She alleged that government would lose P517 million a year or a total of P25.85 billion in the 50-year deal that supposedly involves the establishment of an integrated resort-casino.
President Duterte upon learning about this, cited the case of Nayong Pilipino leased government property for a ridiculously long period of time of 70 years which is beyond the lifetime of anyone, and he considered this as a contract which was grossly disadvantageous to the government.
While Duterte said that he would like to step down from his position as President, this is not the first time that made such a claim probably because of exasperation. Before, Duterte also promised to resign from office if he fails to end drugs and criminality in three to six months.
