CORRUPTION | Duterte’s spokesman downplays senator’s graft allegation in government

July 5, 2021 , 06:23 PM

(July 5, 2021) – A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte laughed off the corruption bombshell of a world boxing champion and senator as a firecracker, describing it as “worthless” for not presenting hard evidence on anomalous transactions.

“Akala ko atomic bomb, ‘yun pala watusi,” Harry Roque told a press briefing. “Wala po, walang kwenta kasi puro generalized allegations po. Walang particulars, walang specific instance, walang ebidensya.”

“AKALA KO ATOM BOMB, ‘YUN PALA WATUSI”

Ito ang tawag ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque sa mga alegasyon ni Sen. Manny Pacquiao na anomalya sa gobyerno.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/bY1Qn1Y_Vak

Posted by News5 on Sunday, July 4, 2021

On Saturday, Duterte’s close ally, Senator Emmanuel “Pacman” Pacquiao, was ready to burn political bridges, accusing three government agencies of corrupt practices in a press conference, showing stacks of documents on his table describing them as his evidence.

Pacquiao said around P10.4-million worth of cash aid for the poor had gone missing from the social welfare department after more than a million recipients failed to download a mobile application where they could get the cash assistance.

He said the agency entered into an anomalous deal with a private firm to distribute the funds under the administration’s social amelioration program.

Two other agencies—the Department of Energy and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources—also committed graft over the past years, according to the lawmaker. He said his staff would review the documents they have before turning them over to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Pacquiao has been squabbling with energy secretary Alfonso Cusi over political matters inside the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). But the lawmaker said he was not accusing the DOE of corruption out of spite.

But Roque was not impressed with any of Pacquiao’s corruption exposé because he would not be here in the country during the congressional investigation he had requested from the upper house.

Pacquiao left the country over the weekend to prepare for his welterweight fight against Errol Spence Jr. on August 21.

“Hindi po ganyan ang trabaho ng Senado,” Roque said. “Dapat po ayusin muna ang trabaho niya bilang isang senador. Patunayan ang kanyang mga paratang dahil kung hindi po, pulitika lang po talaga ang mga pinagsasasabi ni Senator Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao’s disclosure came less than a week after the firebrand leader challenged him to prove his allegations of corruption in the government. Duterte quoted Pacquiao as saying his government was “three times more corrupt” than his predecessor, the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

The senator immediately took on the challenge to prove that he was not lying, citing the health department as the first government office he would like to investigate. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had already submitted pertinent documents to the senator’s office to deny claims of graft.

Pacquiao also said he was not trying to pick a fight with Duterte when he raised all these allegations, insisting he only wanted to help the administration weed out corrupt practices among public officials.

(MM)

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