AN UNDERSECRETARY may be fired this week following President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement early this month that he will remove another government official, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Wednesday.
“I know there is [an undersecretary] scheduled to be fired. I’m not sure if it has been announced,” Roque said in a TV interview.
“I said my next Palace briefing was scheduled on Thursday, so maybe that’s when I make the formal announcement.”
Roque made his statement even as Duterte said he was displeased with the performance of some appointed officials who supported him when he was campaigning for the presidency.
He made the remark during the mass oathtaking of officials from various government offices in Malacañang on Tuesday afternoon.
Duterte, who has fired several officials for excessive travels abroad and corruption while others had offered to resign, called on the newly appointed officials to resist any temptation that might damage their reputation.
“Resist any temptation that will taint your honor and reputation as public servants,” Duterte said in his speech.
Roque, when asked if the scheduled firing of an undersecretary was related to the resignation of Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say, said it was best to ask Say.
“What I know is, he resigned, but I don’t know if there was a threat he would be sacked,” Roque said.
Say said he submitted his courtesy resignation to Duterte through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on March 9 and Malacañang accepted it on Tuesday.
Say did not explain the reason for his resignation. He said he would rather spare Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III from intrigues.
“I will spare the secretary from intrigues that he is pro-labor based on what I read that he is supposedly [a] softie on management. That is not true,” Say said.
“So I just decided, okay, I’ll step back. Give the Secretary somebody who can deliver better than I can.
Say said he will return to the private sector after his stint in the government.
On April 7, Duterte said another government official would be sacked over loss of trust and confidence.
“I’ll be firing about one undersecretary, one after the other. I’ll finish them off,” Duterte said during a dinner with Cabinet officials at Sofitel.
He made the statement the same day he accepted the resignation of former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who was replaced by Menardo Guevarra, the former senior deputy executive secretary.
The President first mentioned his desire for a Cabinet revamp after expressing disappointment over the decision of the Justice department to dismiss the drug charges against businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
He has mentioned several times that he will not think twice about firing corrupt officials.