Duterte: No mercy for corrupt appointees

MANILA, Philippines -  There would be no mercy for corrupt government appointees, President Duterte warned yesterday, as Clark Development Corp. president Noel Manankil filed a leave of absence a few days after the Chief Executive reportedly blew his top over bribery allegations in the CDC.

While he maintained that he did not publicly refer to Manankil as the subject of his displeasure, Duterte said his stance against corruption stays. 

“I just issued a warning because of a report. But I have not really named him publicly in the sense that he is the man that is – that he was the target of my announcement,” Duterte said yesterday in a briefing after his visit to troops at Camp Quintin Merecido in Catitipan, Davao City.

“I was just repeating my warning to everybody, not only to Manankil but to everybody that I will not – I will not, and I will not countenance graft and corruption in my government,” Duterte said.

Duterte had fired his appointees in government even with just a hint of corruption. He had earlier fired former interior secretary Ismael Sueno for pushing for the allegedly anomalous fire truck contract.  

He also fired undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez over rice importation issues early this year.  

Duterte also sacked Bureau of Immigration deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles after they were tagged in a multimillion-peso bribe scandal involving a Chinese casino operator.

“The bottom line is always I will ask for your head. Dismissal,” Duterte said in a press conference last Thursday.

“If you are into graft, you are into graft. And if I’ll just suspend you for days or even months and you go back to the service of the government and you have been at it, the high probability that you’ll do it again,” Duterte said.

Duterte, however, admitted he was not sure if Manankil was guilty of any anomaly, but he got wind of reports that he was collecting huge amounts from locators.

“I’m not saying that I am sure that he is guilty. What I’m saying is that I’ve been receiving reports of corruption and I said, ‘Please do not do that because’ ang sabi ko naman, ganito tayo (I said, this is how we do it). But I have always insisted on honesty and integrity in government,” the President said.

Duterte knew details about Manankil, confirming for instance that the latter was finance officer when Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade was the CDC president during the past administration.

“When Tugade was the president of Clark at that time, I was campaigning, I went there. He was the finance officer of Clark Development,” Duterte said.

He explained Manankil was mentioned in the purported anomaly.

“But what I’m saying, if you are the head of that department then, I might say, you better take care of your office,” said Duterte.

Support for CDC chief

Support from ordinary employees, diplomats and businessmen swelled yesterday for the beleaguered Manankil, who went on leave after President Duterte linked him to anomalies.

From Iraq, Philippine charge d’affaires Elmer Cato said in his Facebook account that he does not believe the allegations against Manankil. 

“If someone wants his seat, all he has to do is ask and I am sure Noel would gladly give way. He never aspired for that position anyway,” Cato said.

“I have to vouch for him too. When I was SBMA chair, there was not a hint that Noel was involved in any anomaly,” former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman Felicito Payumo said in a statement.

The Association of Concerned CDC Employees (ACCES) also issued a statement saying that “envy and greed for power” could be the motive for those who have provided Duterte with the wrong information about Manankil.

The statement described Manakil as “a loyal public servant with great proportions of honesty and trust.”

NITAS Networking Among Friends, a business travel and tourism association with 300 members and seven chapters nationwide, issued a one-page declaration supporting Manakil.

The association said, “We have worked with Mr. Noel F. Manankil in various projects and he has been very supportive and committed in all his actions and decisions.”

Byeongchun Lee, president and chief executive officer of SFA Semicon firm in Clark, wrote former CDC president Tugade saying that “as a locator in the Clark Freeport zone since 2010, we attest that at no instance was there any incident, or any implied communication from president Manankil, or from any of the officials of the CDC that involved any form or insinuation of bribery in any form whatsoever.

“The CDC board, management and staff have all acted with the highest level of competence and professionalism in all their dealings with our company,” he also said. 

Mac Talampas, corporate secretary of Xenia Hotel also in Clark, said that Manankil is “one hard core strict officer,” and expressed hope that he would continue the passion and dedication for government service.

With Ding Cervantes