Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25) – President Rodrigo Duterte ranted against the continuing ‘padrino’ system in the government, especially in bagging contracts for projects.
“Mga kababayan, mahirap lang kami. The mere fact na nagamit ang mga pangalan nila, walang pumapatol sa amin dito ng ganun,” Duterte said during the weekly Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting.
[Translation: To my countrymen, we (the government) are only poor. The mere fact that their names (of government officials) are being used, it is good that they are not biting on these schemes.]
Duterte mentioned some are using the names of Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., Health Sec. Francisco Duque III, and Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana to win contracts for government projects and bypassing proper procedures.
“Ito yung mga parasites, mga linta (They are the parasites, leeches). They thrive on the gullible,” Duterte said. “Kung ang contract mo ay maganda at kumpleto (If your contract is fine and complete), you don’t have to convince everybody that it is really good.”
The President ordered the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to arrest those using officials’ names to get favors in transacting with the government.
Duterte also urged those who hold first-grade civil service eligibility to apply to work for the government, in a bid to replace those workers implicated in corruption issues. He made the call while reading his weekly list of dismissed and suspended government employees due to graft and corruption cases.
“Maraming Pilipino na bright na walang trabaho. Diyan sa civil service, maraming nakalista diyan na first-grade eligible na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nakakita ng trabaho,” Duterte said. “I suggest kayong mga first grade eligible, wala ng padri-padrino, mag-apply kayo sa civil service.”
[Translation: There are many bright Filipinos who are jobless. In the civil service, there are many listed under the first-grade civil service eligibility who are jobless. I suggest those who are first grade eligible, without using any connections, to apply in the civil service.]
Those who qualified under the first level of eligibility in professional and subprofessional civil service exams are likely to work in clerical, custodial, and trade positions.
