President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday fired Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission executive director Jose Antonio Goitia over allegations of corruption, saying he will drop the sacked official into the Pasig River.
“This PRRC [executive], I just dismissed him, presidential appointee. When you go outside, I’ll tie him to an anchor. I’ll drop this son of a bitch to the Pasig River so the fish will grow fat,” Duterte said.
Duterte said Goitia was flaunting that he will be transferred to the Bureau of Customs, and has begun asking for money and trying to corner supply contracts.
The President said he will also fire a female official who heads an economic office.
“I will remove another official. Though she is not corrupt, but she is not in parity with performance in handling an economic office. I have to change it,” Duterte said.
Goitia’s relief came a week after he transferred the chairmanship of the PRRC to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which used to beheaded by the Department of Budget and Management.
“The termination is made pursuant to the President’s continuing mandate to eradicate graft and corruption, and to ensure that public officials and employees conduct themselves in a manner worthy of public trust,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
Malacañang ordered Goitia to turn over all official documents, papers and properties in his possession to the Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Finance and Administrative Services of the Commission.
“We hope that this shall serve as another example that this administration does not”•and will never”•tolerate corrupt practices in the bureaucracy and in public service,” Panelo said.
Some groups had previously claimed there were alleged uncompleted projects in the commission despite its P107.5-million budget for 2018.
Goitia insisted the claim was erroneous, deceptive and offensive.
“The truth of the matter was that as of December 2018, only P29.63 million was spent for the rehabilitation of the San Juan River and five other esteros in Manila as these are still on going,” Goitia said.
He was appointed in the commission in 2017.
PRRC was created in January 1999 to strengthen the government’s program to rehabilitate the Pasig River for transportation, recreation and tourism purposes.