Hard on sleaze, soft on people

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte leads the ceremonial distribution of relief goods for the fire-affected families at the Ramon Enriquez High School in Labuan, Zamboanga City on July 26, 2018. Also in the photo are Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar and Sec. Bong Go of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO President Rodrigo Duterte gave the people of Zamboanga more than cash, slippers and a promise of housing as he vowed to pursue peace in Mindanao anchored on clean and honest governance.

The Chief Executive led the celebration of the 69th Araw ng Ipil at the Municipal Plaza of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay province before he accompanied Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go in distributing cash assistance and other forms of support to fire victims in Barangay Libuan.

Staying low-key in the distribution of relief goods to more than 400 families affected by the Libuan fire, Mr. Duterte made the toughest statement in Ipil with another warning to influence peddlers as he made sure nobody could use the Office of the President in business dealings with government.

“I let other members of the government handle other matters particularly for offices that we’re not very familiar with,” the President said. “I leave it to the Cabinet members.”

“No transactions of government ever reached my office. I really avoided that,” Mr. Duterte said.

President Duterte said he will hit hard on corrupt government officials, adding: “It begins and ends with every department because I am in the process of complying my fundamental promises to you. One is corruption and I am working very hard.”

“I may not be able to change everything, but at least I could make a difference with how things were and how things are now,” he said.

To prove his point, President Duterte said he is set to visit Port Irene in Cagayan to crush a smuggled Lamborghini and other sports cars.

“I’m fond of motorcycles, but not very much for cars. There are motorcycles that would be destroyed there too. My heart will really bleed, but there’s nothing that I can do because the only way to settle this thing about smuggling is just to simply stop it altogether,” Mr. Duterte said.

Mr. Duterte then assisted Kuya Bong Go in the distribution of cash assistance to the fire victims. They received cash support of P5,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and P1,500 each from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The Chief Executive, however, asked SAP Go to release an additional P7,000 per family for additional support.

The private sector also chipped in with assistance, courtesy of the Friends of Bong Go (FOBG), a group supporting the advocacy of SAP Bong Go of providing aid to those in need, the less fortunate and victims of calamities.

Led by Mariam Celia Hahalul-Hataman, the group donated forty pairs of brand new shoes, school supplies and provided aid and comfort to the fire victims of the fire.

Funds used for the purchase of the donated items were from private, friends, relatives and community leaders who also helped distribute shoes to the affected families in support of President Duterte and SAP Go.

Meanwhile, another fire razed a community in Jolo, Sulu.

It started in a house in Barangay Walled City and spread to several houses built of light materials in heavily populated Barangay Busbus. The fire displaced 3,183 families or 13,296 individuals.