PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 28, 2021, spent around 15 minutes in the last part of his weekly public address challenging Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao to identify the persons and offices involved in corruption.
Duterte, who apparently took offense at Pacquiao’s statement that corruption is two or three times worse in this administration, vowed to do something about it in one week.
“I am challenging him, ituro mo ang opisina na corrupt and ako na ang bahala. Within one week, may gawin ako,” he said, adding he will launch an investigation and refer the case to the Ombudsman.
But if Pacquiao fails to identify the alleged corrupt officials and agencies, Duterte said he will campaign against him.
“If you fail to do that, I will campaign against you because you are not doing your duty. Do it because, if not, I will just tell the people, ‘Do not vote for Pacquiao because he is a liar,’” Duterte said.
“I am not questioning your ability intellectually, or what. But ’pag hindi mo nagawa ‘yan, araw-arawin kita, I will expose you as a liar. At ‘yung buhay mo, kilala man kita noon pa...I put you on notice na isasabi ko lahat at kakalabanin kita panahon ng eleksyon,” he added.
Duterte serves as party chairman of the ruling PDP-Laban while Pacquiao serves as president.
The topic shifted to Pacquiao, a professional boxing champion who has been serving as senator since 2016, when Duterte addressed calls for him to run as vice president in the 2022 elections.
Duterte said he will probably run as vice president because “there are things” that he would like to continue, but this would depend on whether “there is space” for him and on his presidential candidate.
“It’s not at all a bad idea, and if there is a space for me there, siguro (maybe). Pero kung wala akong space (But if there’s no space) and everybody is crowding up wanting to be one (vice president), sila na lang muna kasi tapos na ako (let them because I’m done),” he said.
“But there are things that I’d like to continue and that would be dependent also on the president that I will support,” he added. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)