With two years left in office, President Duterte intends to leave behind a legacy of a less corrupt government, Malacañang said Tuesday.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the President wants to give “utmost priority” to cleaning up the government before his term ends in 2022.
Roque spoke about Duterte's legacy following his order of a government-wide probe on corruption. The President, in a televised address Tuesday morning, directed the justice department to probe corruption allegations in the entire government and file charges against erring public servants.
"Ang gusto lang talaga niya eh maiwang legacy na nilinis niya ang gobyerno sa natitirang panahon ng kaniyang termino (The President really wants to leave a legacy that he cleaned the government in the remaining years of her term)," Roque said during an online Palace press briefing.
"Ang legacy niya talaga ay patunayan na kung talagang tutukan at gagamitin ang political will, eh talaga naman pong mababawasan ang korapsiyon, bagama’t aminado na tayo na hindi tuluyang mawawala ang korapsiyon (His legacy is to show that if given full attention and with political will, corruption can be reduced although we admit that we cannot eliminate corruption)," he said.
On the latest order for a massive corruption probe, Roque admitted that the President was dissatisfied with present-anti-corruption efforts. He said Duterte, a former prosecutor, mayor and lawmaker, recognized there has been systemic corruption in government.
"I guess it’s the President emphasizing that in the remaining two years of his term he will give utmost priority to the fight against corruption,” he said.
With the DOJ leading a "mega task force," Roque said there would be more prosecutors who can probe the alleged anomalies in government agencies.
"Even if there is an Office of the Ombudsman, the biggest public prosecutor is still under the Department of Justice because the number of prosecutors that we have under the DOJ are simply… probably 20 times more than the lawyers that they have at the Office of the Ombudsman," he said.
He said the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and other relevant agencies may be invited to join the DOJ-led task force.
"Mas marami pong mga tauhang gobyerno na nakatutok sa korapsiyon, mas mabuti (The more government personnel giving attention to corruption, the better)," he said.