Duterte on Sueno’s dismissal: I could never be misinformed

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he was not misinformed when he fired former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno over corruption allegations.

“I could never be misinformed. Ka-abugado ko, ma-misinform ako? And when I make a move, when I fire you diyan mismo, alam ko ang ginagawa ko,” Duterte told reporters at Camp General Artemio Ricarte in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

At his press conference after bidding goodbye to the employees of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Sueno said that Duterte could have been misinformed about the Rosenbauer fire truck issue that cost him his Cabinet post.

But Duterte maintained that he would not tolerate even a “whiff” of corruption in his administration.

“Sabi ko the first whiff, ang unang singaw lang, miski hindi totoo, ba-bye tayo. Maraming kapalit sa gobyerno. Hindi tayo nagkulang ng talent, bright, pati iyong honest with integrity,” he said. 

Sueno was fired by Duterte during a Cabinet meeting on Monday night for "loss of trust and confidence."

In a television interview earlier in the day, Sueno said he became a "sacrificial lamb" and a "victim of intrigue," noting that he felt embarrassed after he was dismissed as DILG chief.

“Water under the bridge na iyon [pagkatanggal ko]. Ina-accept ko na lang kung ano ang katayuan ko. Anyway, sa tingin ko ako ang sacrifical lamb dito,” Sueno told GMA News TV's News To Go. — RSJ, GMA News