Duterte warns: ‘Corruption must stop now’

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has expressed disdain for corruption anew, assuring top businessmen on Tuesday that he would end corrupt activities in government that sap investor confidence. 

"Let me be brutal and frank to you all. Corruption must stop now," Duterte told a gathering of businessmen and his future Cabinet at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City. 

"And I would address to all Filipinos who want to do something for your country and never had the opportunity because walang nag-yayaya sa inyo. Ngayon niyo na gawin kasi ako na (ang presidente). Ayaw ko talaga ng corruption. It makes me sick," he added. 

Duterte himself took pride in having a spotless record on corruption in his nearly three-decade stint in government. 

"My standard would be zero tolerance sa graft pati sa criminality. I would never preside over the affairs of this country with a corrupt police and drugs abound destroying the lives of the Filipinos," he said. 

Duterte will take over the reins of government on June 30 from President Benigno Aquino III, whose anti-corruption drive has created a positive impact on how the world sees the Philippines.

German-based watchdog Transparency International reported last January that the Philippines placed 95th in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2015, several notches higher than the 134th rank in 2010. 

Since he took power in June 2010, Aquino's anti-corruption campaign has led to the arrest and detention of noted public officials, including three senators and Arroyo, who is accused of misusing state lottery funds when she was president in 2007. 

Some quarters, however, perceived the administration as practicing selective justice as officials under Aquino's Liberal Party allegedly have never been made to account for their supposed wrongdoings. — BAP, GMA News