NO he is not resigning. This is how categorical a top Palace official responded to queries on President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan moments after his televised national address hinting on stepping down over the difficulties of curbing corruption in the government.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte has no plans of quitting his post despite his frustration over the alleged continuing corruption in government. “Mukhang hindi naman po dahil gagamitin nga niya ‘yung natitira niyang dalawang taon para linisin ang gobyerno,” Roque said in a televised briefing.
Roque added the President was “serious about his expression of exasperation” over corruption, which Duterte vowed to reduce to the barest minimum under his watch.
“Pikang-pika na po siya sa korapsyon,” he said.
Duterte said before the national television on Monday night that he wanted to leave the presidency due to frustration over corruption even as he expressed willingness to appear before Congress to discuss “almost radical” ways to address the problem.
It was not the first time that Duterte talked about a possible resignation.
In August 2018, Duterte informed military and police officials of his plan to quit the presidency as his “chase against graft and corruption seems to be endless.”
Duterte reiterated this in a speech in October 2018, adding that none of the major service commanders, and not even Philippine National Police commanders, had agreed to his offer.
The President thus took the results of the meeting to mean that he needed to keep working on ridding the government of corruption. He had also said a dissatisfied military and police could seize power without staging a coup.