MANILA, Philippines – Corrupt local officials will be next on President Rodrigo Duterte’s chopping block, Malacañang said on Tuesday, January 9.

“The President stated that he will continue with the process of cleansing the bureaucracy and that he will now turn more of his attention to local government units including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),”  Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a Palace news briefing on Tuesday, January 9.

This comes after Duterte fired a string of presidential appointees for various supposed offenses, but mostly for “excessive” travels abroad.

The sacked officials iinclude Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor chairman Terry Ridon, Maritime Industry Authority administrator Marcial Amaro III, Development Academy of the Philippines president Elba Cruz, Budget Undersecretary Gertrudo de Leon, and Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Dionisio Santiago.

At the start of 2017, Duterte summoned mayors and governors to Malacañang to warn them against getting involved in illegal drug trafficking.

He had also stripped over a hundred Mindanao local government chiefs of their power over local police.

Duterte also previously announced that his marching orders to Interior Undersecretary and now officer-in-charge Eduardo Año is to crack down on LGU officials  who “allow corruption to thrive” in their localities.

The officials will be given 3 days to respond to Año’s probe into corruption allegations. – Rappler.com