NEXT week, we Catholics will celebrate Holy Week, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ to redeem us from sins. It is in this time that we supposedly forgive and forget the trespasses of others and ask absolution of our mistakes.
Timely or not, President Duterte on Monday evening fired Interior Secretary Mike Sueno on allegations of corruption. This is how serious President Duterte is in cleansing his administration of graft and corruption. No one is sacred.
It would seem too early for Sueno to confess for the absolution of his sins. But he strongly denied the corruption charges hurled by his undersecretaries. President Duterte believed these to be true, though.
Sueno is the second ranking official in the Duterte government to get axed on accusation of corruption. Peter Laviña, who was with National Irrigation Administration, was the first to go. Sueno and Laviña were supporters of Duterte in the last polls.
President Duterte allegedly lost trust and confidence on Sueno. The story is behind it is that one of Sueno’s sins is he pursued the purchase of equipment for the Bureau of Fire that was started under former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas.
His other considered sin is that he acceded to the request of Vice President Leni Robredo for a meeting when even his PNP Chief Bato dela Rosa refused. But I don’t think President Duterte would mind Sueno’s meeting with Robredo, the second highest official of the land.
There are also talks Sueno was sacked because former senator Bongbong Marcos would take his place after the one year ban. But President Duterte denied this yarn. Also Marcos, according to his trusted man in Cebu, doesn’t want the post.
Whatever are the stories behind the sacking of Sueno, President Duterte has sent a strong signal to all appointed government officials that he won’t hesitate to dismiss even those who are merely suspected of being involved in corruption.
Mr. President, this is long overdue. Nevertheless, it’s never too late to start purging government of corrupt officials/employees from top to bottom.
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There is no reason for the local or national government to be ashamed of street dwellers. But every time Cebu City hosts international meetings or activities, street dwellers are rounded up and placed in a temporary shelter.
The street dwellers don’t have a home. They earned their living on the streets selling items or begging for money. But the local government can’t be blamed for these people’s misery. They left their homes in the rural areas thinking that life is easier in the urban center.
But the government and the officials have the moral obligation to keep these people safe. Instead of just providing them temporary shelter, the city can let them live in idle government buildings until they could find a home.