Pres. Duterte Reappoints Gina Lopez as DENR Secretary

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte gave his full trust and confidence to Gina Lopez after he reappointed her as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Pres. Duterte made the announcement during Monday’s night inauguration and ceremonial switch-on of the 135-megawatt Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion Power Plants of the Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC) at the Malacañang Palace.

”By the way, I re-appointed her. She was bypassed. But I like her and she’s okay. Very strict, I like that. She is not corrupt, I like that. And she cannot be corrupted, I also like that,” Pres. Duterte said in his speech.

The President said having people like Lopez in the government would make the country “at least relatively safe from every predators from all sorts.”

The Commission on Appointments (CA) bypassed Lopez’s confirmation.

Pres. Duterte lived up to his election promise to fight corruption as well as illegal drugs and criminality.

During his speech, Pres. Duterte showed to the audience a five-inch thick of bond paper containing the list of personalities, including police and local government officials, allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade.

”Now, the portals of the national government to the contamination of narco-politics was opened by, sadly, De Lima,” Pres. Duterte said, referring to Senator Leila de Lima who won the senatorial election last May.

Due to the drug menace that contaminated more than three million Filipinos, Pres. Duterte has suspended the holding of the barangay elections last October.

”Well, I said maybe whether you supported me or not, I am your President and I will never allow my country to be thrown to the dogs,” he said.

”If you destroy my country, I will kill you. Make no doubt about it. If you destroy the generation of Filipinos coming up to replace us, I will kill you. Simple as that,” he warned.

To boost his anti-corruption campaign, he signed Executive Order No. 2 operationalizing Freedom of Information in the executive branch.

The FOI will give public access to the government information except on matters that would affect national security.

He also signed EO No. 6 institutionalizing the 24/7 8888 Citizens’ Hotline and Complaint Center.

Complaints and grievances on acts of red tape as defined under Republic Act No. 9485 and other related laws on corruption of any government offices may be filed through the hotline.(PNA)JMC/JFM