Here’s the statement of NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong on his termination
EDGARDO MASONGSONG – The chief of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has issued a statement after he was dismissed by President Rodrigo Duterte due to alleged corruption.
In a taped speech aired on Saturday, August 21, Duterte revealed that he terminated Masongsong.
According to Duterte, it was Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) that conducted an investigation and recommended the dismissal of Masongsong from office.
Following the announcement of his termination, Edgardo Masongsong later issued a statement.
He said: “These are allegations that I have addressed in the course of the PACC’s inquiry into these accusations, and the records will show that I have fully cooperated with the PACC––fully confident in the knowledge that these allegations are baseless, and that if granted due process and the opportunity to defend myself I can establish that I am innocent of any wrongdoing.”
He noted that at the time of the PACC’s allegations, there were no COA findings that there was wastage of government funds nor a whiff of corruption.
According to Masongsong, NEA received twice the highest audit rating from COA during his tenure as NEA chief.
However, he said he is yet to receive a formal notice regarding his dismissal as NEA chief.
Despite his termination, he is grateful for the opportunity given to him by the president.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said that Duterte will keep his anti-corruption promise as the President was certain to dismiss government officials whose corrupt activities had been documented.
This, after the Commission on Audit (COA), flagged numerous transactions of government agencies including the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and more.
Following the latest COA reports, the president said that there is a need to “correct” the public’s perception as it will “destroy the faith of the people in the government.”
It can be recalled that during the 2016 presidential campaign, the former Davao mayor promised to end corruption under his administration.
However, in his last State of the Nation Address, the country’s president that the problem of graft and corruption is still persistent.
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