President Rodrigo R. Duterte called on Filipinos to sue the government if they experience accident on the unfinished and delayed infrastructure projects due to corruption.
“Pag nahulog ka diyan, nabunggo ka [kasi] unlighted, uncovered, ganun, you sue the government. Siguradong manalo kayo diyan (If you fall, bumped there because they are unlighted or uncovered, sue the government. I am sure you will that ),” Duterte said in his speech during the National Science and Technology Week at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang on Friday night.
The President said he is pissed with the delayed projects because he knows that these are product of corruption by some officials. “Ang corruption, naiinis ako, kasi ‘yung dinadaanan araw-araw ng tao, hindi inaayos. Marami na lang nahuhulog diyan, marami na lang namatay (Corruption, I am really become mad on that, because they do not fixed it. A lot of people fell there and some died). It’s almost nonchalant so make it a criminal issue,” he said.
Duterte said if the government will charged he will also file complaints against the supervisor of the project. “And maybe ask the Secretary, ‘kindly explain to me kung bakit ganito ang sitwasyon (why the project resulted to this),’” he said.
He also said the government policy on the bidding in which the lowest bidder will be the winner, is “a very disaster theory of government.” “Pag nanalo na ‘yan siya, ibigay niya doon sa governor, ibigay niya doon sa mayor, ibigay niya doon sa presidente, ‘yung mga tao na — pagkatapos ilan ang iniwan sa pera (If the bidder will win, the contractor will give the money to the governor, mayor and president and to the people and how much money left for the project)?” Duterte said. The president said he never see government projects that are not product of graft and corruption. “Every program of the government ends up in an investigation,” he said. He said if there is delay or slippage, of about 20 percent he will cancel the contract open it for a Swiss challenge. “So I would like to call the attention of the secretaries, especially Secretary [Mark] Villar, that if there is any slippage of any work of any kind by the national government,” he said. Duterte vowed that he would immediately act on graft and corruption complaints.
