Duterte eyes Efren Peñaflorida to lead PCUP

Mick Basa

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Duterte eyes Efren Peñaflorida to lead PCUP
Efren Peñaflorida is the man hailed CNN Hero of the Year in 2009 for his efforts to educate kids in Metro Manila's slums

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte is considering Efren Peñaflorida, the man recognized by CNN for his pushcart classrooms, to lead the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).

The PCUP was the government agency whose officials Duterte sacked because they supposedly have not met as a collegial body, and have joined “junkets” abroad. 

Ang una kong i-consider ‘yung nagatulak bitaw ng, ‘yung naga turo (The first one I consider is the one who pushes, the one who teaches),” he said, referring to Peñaflorida.

Duterte bared this late Friday night, December 15, in an hour-long speech before Davao City-based media at the so-called Malacañang of the South.

Peñaflorida was hailed CNN Hero of the Year in 2009 for his efforts to educate kids in Metro Manila’s slums.

Apart from Peñaflorida, the President said Malacañang is also “looking” for Randy Halasan to join the PCUP.

Halasan was a Ramon Magsaysay awardee in 2014 for supporting a Matigsalug community in the hinterlands of this city.

This was also confirmed by Duterte’s aide, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, as they said the search for PCUP officials is yet to be completed.

Duterte earlier removed PCUP officials, including its erstwhile chair Terry Ridon, for supposedly taking “too much” travels abroad.

Ridon, however, said such travels were work-related. – Rappler.com

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