ANY public officials involved in illegal activities are not needed in government, Malacañang said Thursday.
This was what Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella had to say after Peter Laviña resigned as chief of National Irrigation Administration amid rumors he had asked money contractors.
"[Laviña's] departure from the NIA is tainted with allegations of wrongdoing, therefore, runs against the very core of this administration's values," Abella said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Laviña announced that he "quietly" left the government to spare President Rodrigo Duterte from any "embarrassment."
There were reports that Duterte had told labor groups in a meeting in Malacañang last Monday that he fired Laviña, his former presidential campaign spokesman, after receiving reports that the latter asked kickbacks from NIA projects.
Laviña, however, denied the allegation and stressed that he had "neither personal vested interest in it nor ill intent towards NIA and the whole government."
But Abella said the government would not give any preferential treatment to a public official whose name has been dragged in any irregularities.
"Mr. Laviña may have his own take on this matter as he is entitled to his opinion but at the end of the day, public service must brook no hint of corruption, any intimation of which must be faced squarely and without favor," Abella said.
On Wednesday, Abella said the President had already accepted Laviña's resignation as NIA head.
He reiterated that Malacañang "deeply regret" Laviña's decision to give up his post amid corruption allegations.
"[Laviña] has been a strong supporter of the President as early as the latter's years as Mayor of Davao City. In his various capacities in the public and private sectors, he has consistently demonstrated his loyalty to his principal," he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
