Duterte sad to fire officials who urged him to run for president

President Rodrigo Duterte admitted on Wednesday that he was sad about dismissing some government officials because they were among those who urged him to seek the country's highest elective post in 2016.

Speaking before monetary and finance officials in Malacañang, Duterte lamented the fact he had to fire those who believed in his capability to rid the country of illegal drugs, crime and corruption.

"I'm very sad that they were the very first to go, early on a Cabinet member," the President said in apparent reference to former Interior and Local Government secretary Ismael Sueno, who was fired in April last year due to corruption allegations.

"But just the same, tayo sa gobyerno, there is no way of telling. Yung maglapit sa 'yo na ganun and you thought you might ever fall into the trap of believing you are with the crowd for change," he added.

The President has been bringing down the ax on high-ranking officials and heads of offices accused of corruption and abuse of power.

Apart from Sueno, Duterte has removed Terry Ridon as chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Peter Tiu Laviña as administrator of the National Irrigation Authority, Dionisio Santiago as chair of the Dangerous Drugs Board, and Marcial Amaro III as Maritime Industry Authority Administrator.

On Tuesday, Duterte said he recently sacked another official still over allegations of corruption.

Duterte didn't say who the official was, indicating that he didn't want to draw attention to his latest firing.

He made the remark on the same day that it was announced Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo had resigned from her post over the questioned P60 million worth of advertisements the Department of Tourism had placed with PTV-4. —ALG, GMA News