Duterte slams contracts entered into by his predecessors

President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized his predecessors for signing contracts which he claimed were either riddled with corruption or detrimental to the public.

During a Miting de Avance in Davao City on Friday, Duterte said he has since insisted on not implementing these contracts under his tenure "because I can’t stand  the provisions that they included in those contracts."

Duterte did not say who among the former presidents he was talking about.

He, however, cited a previous contract entered into by the government with Manila Gas with an effectivity until 2077. He said the contract contained a provision requiring the government to pay the company its projected income until 2077, in case of a premature termination of the deal.

"There’s a provision there that says if the contract ends before they even get to start, then they won’t be able to continue with the contract until 2077," Duterte said in Bisaya.

"When it is paid for by the Filipino… If the contract ends by 2040, the profit that they projected to receive until 2077 --- that agreement reached some tables already. But we are the ones who are going to pay for the profit that they won’t be able to receive once the contract ends," he added.

The President said he did not want anything to do with this kind of contracts.

"I will be like Poncio Pilato. I will say that I have nothing to do with it, that it did not happen during my term," he said.

"Corruption is rampant. I told you even before the campaign that the worst corruption cases are up there, not down below here," he added.

Duterte said he had long hesitated to tell the military and police about these contracts for fear that they would rise up against the government.

"I wanted to release this a long time ago, but I was scared that the military and police might have another coup d’etat again. It’s not that they’re opposing me, but probably because they can’t stand it anymore also. I can’t stand it as well," he said.

"So I will say, “Sige, plot a coup d’etat and bring a gun.” It’s better if you have a coup d’etat," Duterte added. — MDM, GMA News