Netizens: Was Balutan asked to do something he cannot stomach?
Published Mar 9, 2019 05:52 pm
By Jel Santos
Is it because somebody in the government asked Alexander Balutan something that he cannot stomach that is why he resigned as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)?
(FEDERICO CRUZ / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was the question that arose after the official Facebook page of Balutan posted a screenshot of his statement recalling his past remarks saying he will resign should somebody asks him a favor he cannot stomach.
“I told all PCSO employees when I assumed as general manager in 2016 that if somebody from the Office of the President or the Congress asks or orders me to do something which I cannot stomach... I WILL RESIGN,” Balutan said in the beginning of his statement.
The former PCSO general manager continued by saying that he did not ask for his position at the agency, adding that Pres. Duterte purposely retired him early from the Marines to help him run his administration.
“I did not ask for this position. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte retired me early from the Marines to help him run his administration. In silence, I did and I excelled. I did not ask for anything from the president in return. The rest is history,” he said.
On Friday night, Malacanang said that Balutan was terminated from his post over “serious corruption allegations.”
Prior to this, Bong Solmerin, spokesman of Balutan, has announced that his boss has decided to resign, saying such is due to unspecified “personal reasons.”
Balutan, a retired Marine general, was appointed by Duterte as PCSO general manager in September 2016.
He is a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1983.
In 2018, Balutan faced a controversy about the lavish Christmas party of their agency at a posh hotel. Sandra Cam, PCSO board member, criticized Balutan for spending so much for just a party. Yet, Balutan was defended by the president.
Recently, PCSO announced that its lotto sales went down by 39.19 percent, getting only P1,587,785,710 sales much less than of the same period in 2018 with P2,611,320,180.
(FEDERICO CRUZ / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was the question that arose after the official Facebook page of Balutan posted a screenshot of his statement recalling his past remarks saying he will resign should somebody asks him a favor he cannot stomach.
“I told all PCSO employees when I assumed as general manager in 2016 that if somebody from the Office of the President or the Congress asks or orders me to do something which I cannot stomach... I WILL RESIGN,” Balutan said in the beginning of his statement.
The former PCSO general manager continued by saying that he did not ask for his position at the agency, adding that Pres. Duterte purposely retired him early from the Marines to help him run his administration.
“I did not ask for this position. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte retired me early from the Marines to help him run his administration. In silence, I did and I excelled. I did not ask for anything from the president in return. The rest is history,” he said.
On Friday night, Malacanang said that Balutan was terminated from his post over “serious corruption allegations.”
Prior to this, Bong Solmerin, spokesman of Balutan, has announced that his boss has decided to resign, saying such is due to unspecified “personal reasons.”
Balutan, a retired Marine general, was appointed by Duterte as PCSO general manager in September 2016.
He is a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1983.
In 2018, Balutan faced a controversy about the lavish Christmas party of their agency at a posh hotel. Sandra Cam, PCSO board member, criticized Balutan for spending so much for just a party. Yet, Balutan was defended by the president.
Recently, PCSO announced that its lotto sales went down by 39.19 percent, getting only P1,587,785,710 sales much less than of the same period in 2018 with P2,611,320,180.