He issued the warning during a meeting at the presidential palacase with his officials on the impact of Typhoon Goni (known here as Rolly).
“The next round will be by December. Many will lose their jobs. Many will be separated from the government. Many will face prosecution and many will go to jail,” Duterte said.
At the meeting, he presented a list of 60 officials from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the Bureau of Customs who were either suspended or dismissed for involvement in corruption.
“There are many of them. I will add more,” Duterte said.
He named about 40 immigration personnel being investigated for alleged corruption.
He said in the Bureau of Customs alone, 20 personnel have been dismissed, four suspended, 135 being investigated and 45 charged with administrative cases.
“I will dedicate the last two years to the fight against corruption,” the president said. His six-year term ends in June 2022.
Before reading the list of PhilHealth and Customs officials being probed for alleged corruption either by the Office of the Ombudsman or other agencies, Duterte reiterated his trust and confidence in Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.
Duterte has ordered the creation of a “mega task force” to probe corruption in government agencies, with Public Works, Customs and PhilHealth named as the most corrupt agencies.
“Secretary Villar is an honest man. Not only that he is honest, he has money. He already has money, and I do not question his integrity or loyalty,” Duterte said.
“If not, why is he still part of my cabinet? Meaning to say that I need him. I need his expertise, his talent. Corruption, this is prevalent regardless of whose administration,” he said.
“Long before these people came, [corruption] was already endemic…It’s been there,” he said.
While admitting that he may have preferred some allies for certain posts in the government, he stressed it does not mean he would tolerate corruption.
“I’ve been hearing so many stories about corruption at PhilHealth. Now this came out from the ombudsman. They are suspended for six months,” he said.
“They are being investigated and if there’s enough evidence, they will be prosecuted in court. And eventually they will land in jail. And that could be a problem not only for the family and everybody,” he said.
He cited the case of a regular Customs employee who was also a board member of the government-owned Development Bank of the Philippines.
“I really don’t understand this stupidity. So brazen; as if they think they’re dealing only with brainless people,” Duterte said.
