Peace process adviser Jesus Dureza has resigned, President Rodrigo Duterte announced Tuesday, as he also fired two officials from the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process.
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Duterte accepted the resignation of Dureza, a fellow Davao native and a close friend of the President, as he also dismissed OPAPP Undersecretary Ronald Flores and Assistant Secretary Yeshtern Donn Baccay — and promised he would drop the axe on another undersecretary, as he did in previous days.
“I am very sad that I accepted the resignation of Secretary Dureza,” the President said during the inauguration of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport on Tuesday.
Duterte seemed to spare Dureza from blame but noted he was the supervisor of Flores and Baccay.
Flores was Undersecretary for Support Services and National Program Manager of PAMANA, the OPAPP’s development arm, while Baccay was Assistant Secretary for Support Services and PAMANA Concerns.
On Monday, during his speech for the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project Construction ceremonial kickoff, Duterte said he would dismiss another undersecretary for corruption.
“Corruption is not acceptable to me. I need not repeat it every day. Then when I go to Manila, I’m going back, I’m going to fire another undersecretary for corruption,” Duterte said.
Dureza, who turns 71 in December, is a lawyer, journalist, consultant and politician. He was a former chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority and a presidential assistant for Duterte’s home region, chair of the government peace panel in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and a former congressman of Davao City’s first district.
Last week, Duterte fired Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Secretary-General Falconi Millar also over corruption allegations.
The President has been dropping the axe on high-ranking officials and heads of offices accused of corruption, excessive travels, and abuse of power.
Earlier this year, the President ordered the dismissal of military officials over supposed anomalous transactions at the V. Luna Medical Center.
He also fired the board members and the management of Nayong Pilipino Foundation for entering into a supposedly disadvantageous lease deal with a Hong Kong-based developer for an integrated casino resort project.
Duterte had vowed to reduce corruption to the barest minimum under his watch.