Filtered By: Topstories
News

Duterte says unspent agency budget means corruption, inefficiency


President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday said he will order all government agencies to spend their budget allocations up to the last centavo.

In his speech during his thanksgiving party at the Crocodile Park in Davao City, Duterte said department heads should have spent their whole budget by the end of each year during his incumbency.

"If you are a department [head] and I gave you P30 billion, at the end of the year, the 30 billion must be spent to the last centavo. Bigyan kita P30 billion tapos ang gastusin mo lang 25, so may P5 billion. Saan yung P5 billion? 'Di ubusin mo," he said.

The current administration uses part of the agencies' savings for the state workers' bonuses.

Duterte said the budget savings can only lead to corruption or lack of efficiency.

"'Di ubusin mo. 'Pag nagkulang ka ng pera, sumobra ka. Either pumasok ka sa kurakot kaya nagkulang ang gobyerno. 'Pag nagkulang ka naman... hindi mo ginawa ang trabaho mo," Duterte said.

Duterte said discrepancies in the budget by one peso is stupidity, while discrepancies in the billions is corruption.

"At the end of the day 'pag audit yung cash on hand niya 'wag sumobra ng piso, walang kulang na piso. Kasi kung nagkulang ka ng piso tatangatanga ka. Kung nasobrahan ang pera mo ng piso tatangatanga ka rin. That is just an example when we talk about pesos, but we talk about billions, there is corruption in it," he said.

Meanwhile, Duterte promised to build schools in far-flung areas.

"Dito sa education I will endeavor to build .. if there are about 25 to 30 students in a barangay, then you will have a national high school. No need to walk for 20, 30 kilometers to go to school. Ako na mismo ang magdala ng eskwelahan," Duterte said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/ALG, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT