Duterte mulls appointing Piñol to MinDA

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he has not yet accepted Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol's resignation.

In an ambush interview in Malacañang, Duterte said he plans to appoint Piñol to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

This was after Senator-elect Bong Go announced that Piñol submitted a courtesy resignation to the President.

The President underscored that Piñol's MinDA appointment is a cabinet position.

"Sabi ko pumunta ka nalang doon, tulungan mo nalang ako," he said.

Duterte said he needs someone to help with the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which is the "first organized government that they have long wished for."

The BARMM is a new political entity that replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The President, however, said he will have to first meet with Bangsamoro region interim Chief Minister Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim before he accepts Piñol's courtesy resignation.

Duterte also vouched for Piñol's integrity in public service.

"He is not corrupt. He is just talkative," he said. — BAP, GMA News