By Genalyn Kabiling Cabinet members and other top government officials have been advised to simply leave government if they fail to reduce red tape and expedite transactions in their offices. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the inauguration of the Candon City Bypass Road in Ilocos Sur on July 25, 2019. (ALFRED FRIAS / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) President Duterte recently said government officials should no longer wait for the order for their dismissal should they fail to meet his order on the shorter processing of permits and other applications by the transacting public. "Sabi ko it’s three days for all, including the Cabinet members. They have one month to act on the papers. Sabi ko ‘pag hindi , you go out. Do not wait for the marching orders to resign," Duterte said during his visit to Ilocos Sur Thursday. Duterte, who declared there was no sacred cow in his administration in the battle against corruption and red tape, said he had to let go of many officials, including allies, due to alleged abuse and other irregularities. He admitted that he actually "fired" these officials after accepting their letters of resignation. "Eh marami nang nag-resign diyan. Mga kaibigan ko sa Davao ‘yung… Ang masakit diyan ‘yung lumapit sa akin na sabi, “Magtakbo ka kasi ang corruption ngayon…” Marami drama ," Duterte said. "Siyempre magbayad ka ng utang. Noong nandoon ako sa presidency, inilagay ko in key Cabinet. Magnanakaw ang l

. So sinabi ko na lang na, 'I have accepted the resignation.' Means --- meaning to say, 'You’re fired' [Of course you pay a debt of gratitude. When I assumed the presidency, i played them in key Cabinet posts. It turned out they're thieves. I told the, I have accepted the resignation' which means, meaning to say, 'You're fired,'" he said. Duterte said he also asked Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to monitor the compliance of local government officials with Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. The law requires government agencies to act on applications within three days for simple transactions, seven days for complex ones and 20 days for the highly technical matters. It also created the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) that will implement and oversee a national policy on anti-red tape and ease of doing business. Duterte recalled that he got angry and offered to resign over the slow work at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), prompting him to order the faster processing of permits and other government documents. "Gusto ko nang mag-resign. Nagalit talaga ako but --- sa isang project ng DAR. Two, two, two years of… Sabi ko p

… Bakit abutin ng…? So that’s why I’m coming with a limitation. Three days for permits. All, including the local governments," he said. "And I placed Año, also another general. He’s good. He’s very honest, he’s good, and he’s very fair," he added. In his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President expressed his dismay with the pervasive corruption in government, and pledged to sustain the campaign against corruption and red tape. Duterte, frustrated with slow government work, also directed state agencies to simplify their procedures through electronic methods and complete the processing of permits and clearances within three days. "I’ve been asking that from you since three years ago. ‘Pag hindi pa ninyo nagawa ‘yan ngayon, papatayin ko talaga kayo ," Duterte said in his national address last Monday. "Simplify and make your services responsive to --- client-friendly. Your client is the Filipino, our employer --- from where the money in our pockets come from, from our salaries," he added. Duterte, in his SONA before a joint session of Congress, said he has fired or caused the resignation of more than a hundred officials and appointees of government without regard to relationship, friendship and alliance. "There is no sacred cow, as the saying goes, in my administration," he said. READ MORE: We are our own enemy — Duterte