Telling BI officers to eat money showed Duterte serious in anti-corruption drive -Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte showed he was serious about eliminating corruption in government when he told suspected corrupt officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) during a Palace meeting on Monday to eat money in front of him, Malacañang said Tuesday.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., Duterte displayed a calm demeanor during his meeting with some 40 BI officers tagged in the “pastillas” money-making scheme even as he instructed his aide to distribute money rolled up in paper meant to resemble the Filipino dessert.

“He was sending a message na he will not tolerate corruption and that is why his instruction was ‘eat the money.’ So, it’s not casually giving money. He did not insist that they actually physically eat it out of deference to the presence of [Justice] Secretary [Menardo] Guevarra,” Roque told a news conference.

“But I think the message has been received not just by the 40 who attended the meeting but by all in government,” he said, as he rejected speculation that the President’s action was just for show.

It was Guevarra who shared to the media what had transpired during Monday's meeting, including Duterte's order to the BI officers.

Roque said he had no idea about the amount of money that was distributed to the immigration officers, who were summoned to the Palace by the President himself.

Aside from the President and Guevarra, also present at the meeting on Monday were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, and National Bureau of Investigation officer-in-charge Eric Distor.

Last month, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of a number of BI officers over the pastillas scam.

Under the pastillas scheme, Chinese nationals would pay thousands of pesos as bribes to be allowed entry into the country without going through the usual process.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who has been leading the probe on the pastillas scheme, estimated that the racket coupled with the Immigration Bureau’s visa upon arrival system (VUA) generated P40 billion worth of bribes.

“Iyong mga ginagawa ngayon ni Presidente na talagang sinusulong ang mga kaso laban sa mga korap na mga opisyales ay mensahe sa lahat na kung gusto ninyong yumaman at kung gusto ninyong kumita bukod pa sa suweldo sa gobyerno, huwag kayong magtrabaho sa gobyerno, sa pribadong sektor kayo magtrabaho,” Roque said. -MDM, GMA News