MALACAÑANG said Sunday that the dismissal of 92 government officials only shows that there are no sacred cows in the present government.
"The President’s (Rodrigo Duterte) remark that he fired 92 government officials this month underscores that there are no sacred cows in the Duterte administration," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
Duterte, in a speech in Bukidnon on Saturday, said he fired these officials, mostly from the Bureaus of Customs and Internal Revenue, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
He also cited the dismissal of his friend, Peter Laviña, as administrator of the National Irrigation Administration amid alleged corruption in the agency. Laviña has been denying the allegation against him.
Abella said currently there is no breakdown for those who were dismissed from office.
"Firing of government officials involved in corrupt practices does not come in batches. Any whiff of corruption, particularly those who serve at the pleasure of the President, means suspension or termination of service in government," he said.
He also assured that the work in government agencies where the dismissed officials came from would not be affected.
"In view of this, we assure our people that in cases where heads have been suspended or terminated, day-to-day government operations will remain unhampered because the duties can be performed by the assistant heads who may be designated as officers-in-charge while the chiefs or heads of office are temporarily absent," Abella said. (SDR/VoxPop Philippines)