Being a former mayor himself, President Rodrigo Duterte knows the intricacies of holding local office. So he decided to create a “special team” to monitor and investigate the spending practices of mayors.
In a GMA News report, Duterte said, “I will create a special team. I will review pati yung intelligence funds ninyo, ‘yan ang pinakamadali mapasok sa bulsa.”
Irked by the amount of garbage he’s seen (and we’re talking about actual trash here), Duterte said he wants to find out how local officials are spending their discretionary and intelligence funds because it seems nothing is being done to address the dirty surroundings.
“Ang dumi ng Pilipinas… There is trash and garbage around,” Duterte said, adding that the trash will only aggravate the flooding situation in certain areas.
But more than the trash, Duterte was repulsed by the extravagant lifestyle of some local politicians.
“Kaya kayo bayad eh, kaya kayo nasa opisina n’yo kagaganda… Binibili n’yo furniture. Ganda ng kotse… Hindi na kayo nahiya!” Duterte said, adding that officials should only fly economy class when traveling.
He also warned officials who spend working hours strolling inside malls or gambling in casinos.
“We are paid by the people to work eight hours a day… So ‘pag inindian mo ang tao, eh wala ka sa opisina mo — after lunch break, na nasa mga mall, papasyal-pasyal, ‘pag nangyari ‘yan ulit, I will dismiss ka,” tough-talking Duterte said.
Duterte also asked PAGCOR to “prohibit” politicians from entering their gaming premises.
