Malacañang on President Duterte’s 2017 speech about stealing: “I think it was a joke”
On Friday, Malacañang said that President Rodrigo Duterte was only joking when he said in his speech last June 2017 that he had stolen from public funds.
During the Presidential press briefing Friday, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that President Duterte wouldn’t be around for so long if he’s corrupt.
“I think it was a joke,” Roque said.
Malacañang’s response came after Senator Richard Gordon has repeatedly used the remark against President Duterte.
The Senate blue ribbon committee chairman mentioned it again on Thursday, days after the President said that he wouldn’t have been elected president if he’s corrupt.
“Ang isasagot ko para alam ng madla, napaka simple lang po, ito po ang sinabi ng Presidente doon sa [Philippine Chinese Charitable Association] on June 28, 2017: ‘I hate corruption. Hindi ako nagmamalinis. Marami rin akong nanakaw pero naubos na,’” Senator Gordon said.
READ ALSO | Gordon to Duterte: ‘Kayo na umamin na kayo ay nagnakaw sa gobyerno’
The Palace spokesman defended President Duterte and dismissed Senator Gordon, saying that the President has not once received a notice of disallowance from the Commission on Audit (COA) during his 40-year political career.
“COA never issued a notice of disallowance, unlike in the case of Senator Gordon,” Roque said.
As Senate blue ribbon committee chairman, Senator Gordon was leading an investigation into alleged questionable procurement contracts entered into by the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) with private companies last year.
The investigation has dragged the names of at least two former officials linked to President Duterte: Chinese businessman and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang and former PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao.
President Duterte has ordered the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to request COA to collect PHP 140 million in government funds from Senator Gordon stemming from his time as Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman.
According to the President, the state auditors issued PHP 140 million worth of notice of disallowance to SBMA during Senator Gordon’s tenure.
For his part, the senator said that he’s ready to face any investigation regarding SBMA’s funds.
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