President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered government offices and departments to complete their paperwork by Dec. 15., as he complained on their sluggish performance in attending documents.
“Even the Cabinet members, they have one month to decide. I must have your decision of the papers before you. And I said last night, it has to be Dec. 15. It’s been so many months now,” he said in a speech Wednesday night.
“Papers that are on your table must be out with a decision. If it’s for approval, good; if it is for denial, fine. But let it out,” Duterte added.
The President said pending transactions could be a source of corruption, which he has been criticizing since his presidential campaign in 2016.
“It seems that things are moving very slow and that is why it is still a source of corruption. The longer you sit on the paper or nothing at all—either you are not working,” he said.
He added that government officials who are too slow in performing their duties should be removed from office.
“If you think that you are not up to the mandate of being hurried up, and then you go out and tell your commander to replace you. In the Civil Service, it’s more…Even the directors, I saw some contracts there,” Duterte said.