The President is nearing his first anniversary in office and with all the recent news about government officials being fired or let go, it reminded me of the time I spoke with the President in Davao, almost a year ago, to forward the top 10 wish list of the DDS or Duterte Die-hard Supporters; which included a way for ordinary people to report erring government officials or a government agency. If you could remember, the hotline 8888 was immediately announced to cater to this need of the people. My talk with the President has become somewhat controversial since this was also the time where the President has boycotted mainstream media. Maybe due to envy and anger, some people have questioned why was I, someone who had no education in journalism, given the chance for the interview? The thing is, for me, that was not really an interview in the sense that it was a talk between the President and a reporter; for me, it was like a daughter talking to the father of the country to forward the concerns of all his children. Anyway, in our conversation, what I can never forget is the moment that he assured us all that change has come; the moment where he said: “I will give you a clean government.”
Yes, I admit that when he started appointing department heads, there are those whom I don’t really like but I trust the President’s wisdom and capability in forming the team that would help him bring the change that the people need. What frustrated me are the government officials who cannot seem to follow the clean government that President Duterte wants for this country. It seems like they’re looking at him like he’s just like any other two-faced President who only acts good in public but is like a different person when the cameras are off. What, maybe, caught them off-guard was when the President started firing government officials whether they were close to him or not. This should serve as a warning to everyone that when he said he will give the people a clean government, it was not a joke nor a PR move just like P-Noy has promised and claimed to have provided to the people.
There are still public officials in government agencies who are not really working for the public, there are those who are still not abiding by the call of the President for a clean government, but I know that the President is on top of these cases and will soon take action against them if they continue with their corruption. I have also received some complaints and reports regarding corrupt government officials. I have passed this concern to the appropriate agency and for them to review and thankfully, in a speed that was promised by Duterte, some of these people have now been removed from the government. The good thing about this is that it means the Duterte administration is listening, they are listening to the people, their complaints against government workers or agencies. They are listening to our cry for change.
In the MTRCB, a small government agency where I’m a part of, I also notice the wrong practice that was allowed by previous administrations. Palakasan system or a practice wherein people get what they want because they are close with someone inside. It could be that producers or film makers get the rating they want for their show or movies because they are close with some board members. There was even a TV program representative who told us that it was their first time to be called by the MTRCB in their years of running the show; which made me question how many inappropriate scenes have passed through the MTRCB in those years? As of now, I cannot say if there was money involve in this practice but it should be said that even in a small agency like MTRCB, any form of corruption should not be allowed.
I can see that President Duterte is true to his word and promise to rid the government of corrupt individuals. There are still those who were appointed by the Aquino administration present in the government and I support Duterte’s action to give them a chance. However they must also support the change that he is fighting for and not go against him in every corner. The one who appointed you is not your boss anymore, so all parts of the government and every individual working in the government must be synchronized to the new direction President Duterte is leading us. This way, we can be more efficient in doing our duties to our real boss: the Filipino people. Sad to say there are still those who continue to hold their position as they also continue to smear the name of the President, and I don’t have any respect for the people who are holding a President-appointed position but goes on vilifying the President.
I hope that the appointees of the President, and this also applies to everyone working in the government, would also realize that they should be one with his fight. If he is against crime, they should be against crime; if he is against drugs, they should be against drugs; and if he is against CORRUPTION, they should be against corruption. I have been receiving a lot of emails regarding complaints against government employees and officials. I am calling on this people to stop destroying the image of the President for personal gain. Do not let your greed or ambition get in the way of our duty to the people. Do not shame the name of the man who appointed you by involving yourself in corruption. Let’s be the change that we want to see for our nation.
Truth hurts, if you got hurt by the message to stop being corrupt, then you must think twice before being involve in corruption. I will continue to post in my blog the complaints of the people, because they are the ones we are truly serving. If you cannot be a part of the team that aims to elevate this country and the lives of the people, if you cannot be a part of that change, then maybe that position is not for you. Change has come, change is here.