President Rodrigo Duterte warned corrupt and dishonest public officials that they should not expect to get any help from him, when they are proven to be on the erring side.
In his speech, Duterte reminded government officials to appropriately spend the funds allocated for programs againts the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“Wala kayong maasahang tulong sa akin for after all, did I not warn you earlier na huwag itong pera na itong in-appropriate ng Congress binigay para i-implement natin,” he iterated.
[You will not get any help from me for after all, did I not warn you earlier not to pocket the money appropriated by Congress for us to implement (Covid-19 programs)]
This statement was made when Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año revealed that there are already cases filed against local officials who are abusing their authority by pocketing the cash aid under the social amelioration program (SAP).
“Mga 155 barangay captain official ang aming iniimibestigahan. At ang 30 ay nai–refer na namin sa Ombudsman. So lahat pong ito ay kakasuhan namin sapagkat labag sa batas yung kanilang ginawa,” Año said.
[We are investigating around 155 village captain officials and have referred 30 of these to the Ombudsman. We will file cases against them because they violate the law.]
Around PHP200 billion have been disbursed for the implementation of SAP, which grants emergency subsidies worth between PHP5,000 to PHP8,000 to low-income households amid the health crisis.
