Duterte confirms offering undersecretary post to Diño

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday put to rest the issue on whether or not Martin Diño was offered an undersecretary post after his removal from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) by confirming the said offer.

In an interview that aired on state-run People’s Television on Thursday night, Duterte said he needed to merge the SBMA administrator and chairperson posts to stop the bickering among officials and also to improve the office’s efficiency.

He said Diño and SBMA administrator Wilma Eisma were not at fault.

"Kailangan i-fuse ko position niya at position ng administrator kasi there's bickering," Duterte said in the interview that was taped on Tuesday.

"It was not really the fault of Diño, neither of the administrator. But in the name of public interest, for the cohesive office, finuse ko, pinagdikit ko nang isa," he added.

The merging of the two posts resulted in Diño being removed as SBMA chairman.

"But I offered him (Diño) the undersecretary, ‘yun talaga sanay siya. Barangay captain, dito ka, ‘yun lang. Wala namang issue diyan," the President said of Diño.

Duterte did not identify the office, but Diño earlier said he has accepted a post in the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), although Malacañang denied such an offer was made.

In reaction, Diño said presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella erred when he said that there was no offer for him to become DILG undersecretary for barangay affairs. —KBK, GMA News