Duterte to appoint more military men in his administration

President Rodrigo Duterte served notice on Tuesday that more members of the military will soon join his administration, saying they "fundamentally honest and industrious."

Speaking during the Araw ng Kagitingan commemoration at Barangay Bus-Bus in Jolo, Sulu, Duterte heaped praise anew on the military and pledged more assistance for them.

A number of positions in government, including Cabinet-level posts are being held by former members of the military.

"I’m sure you’d be surprised that most of the Cabinet members now are military guys. It’s not because I am up to something. . . . Hindi ako sabihin na pinapalakas ko ang sarili ko sa military because I do not need that. The people elected me," he said.

The President continued, "But ako I have a special fondness for the military for being fundamentally honest at industrious. Ano lang ako sa bureaucracy because I have met several failures pati hindi mo mautusan nang matino. Puro corruption. Kaya as you would see, ‘yung unang --- the next few officials coming in would be military guys."

Duterte thanked his appointees for helping him run the government.

'Hindi ko man kaya kung ako lang mag-isa. There are so many things to do and I function through Cabinet members," he said.

During his administration, Duterte said the budget of government hospitals for soldiers increased.  He also vowed to look for funds to upgrade the equipment of the military. —Virgil Lopez/LDF, GMA News