PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte clarified Tuesday night that only presidential appointees who are corrupt or who have pending cases before the Ombudsman will be fired.
In an interview at the Palace, the President said that the reason he issued the order calling for the courtesy resignations of all presidential appointees was to give Malacañang a free rein in ridding the government of corrupt officials.
He added that the courtesy resignations would still have to be reviewed to weed out corrupt officials. Those who are not corrupt would be spared, he said.
“I told them to stop it, but they refused to,” Duterte said. “If I fire you, it could only mean one thing: that you are into graft.”
Duterte said he will start with those who have pending cases with the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Those who have cases before the Ombudsman for the last three years, there is no reason for them to hang on,” Duterte said.
Memorandum Circular No. 4 released Aug. 22 states that holdover presidential appointees are given seven days to submit their unqualified courtesy resignations.
Only the President or the executive secretary, by authority of the President, may act on the courtesy resignations taking into consideration the recommendations of the department or agency head concerned and in accordance with existing laws and jurisprudence.
Until any action on their courtesy resignation is taken by the President, appointive officials shall continue to report for work and perform their normal duties and responsibilities.
The Civil Service Commission on Wednesday said only those without security of tenure are covered by the President’s order.
At a budget hearing, CSC Chairman Alice Dela Rosa-Bala told a House panel that appointed non-career service officials may be asked to resign by the President.
CSC Office for Legal Affairs director Ariel Ronquillo added that Malacañang appointees who are non-career officials and do not enjoy security of tenure “can be removed at any time at the pleasure of the appointing authority.”
“The power to appoint also includes the power to remove,” Ronquillo said.