MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is not yet absolving Health secretary Francisco Duque III and Public Works secretary Mark Villar from corruption allegations.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Duterte appeared to have exempted Duque and Villar from the government-wide investigation.
“Naghahanap lang ng ebidensya ang Pangulo, kahit gaano kalapit sa kanya o pagpuri niya sa nakaraan. Kung merong ebidensya ng katiwalian ay paparusahan ng Presidente,” Roque said.
Lacson on Wednesday said he lauded President Duterte’s order to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to have a government-wide investigation on corruption but should have no exemptions.
“Maganda ang move. Ang problema lang, at the outset, mag-create ng mega task force to address all corruption, and in the same announcement, meron agad exceptions,” Lacson said in an interview.
“Parang ang message doon huwag isama kasi hindi kasali. Doon pa lang, parang it has already started on the wrong foot,” he added. “Parang effectively without saying it, parang sinasabing huwag niyo isama si Sec. Duque or Villar.”
“I am not trying to say ang dalawa may kinalaman sa corruption, far from that,” he furthered. “At the outset mayroon agad na hindi dapat galawin, paano mag-succeed ang effort to curb corruption? ‘Di ba dapat lahat isama?”
During his public address on Tuesday, Duterte ordered the DOJ to lead a multi-agency task force to conduct a sweeping, investigation on corruption among government officials./PN
