Duterte warns 3 graft-ridden agencies: Change or get axed

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has warned three graft-tainted state agencies to change their ways or be abolished. Duterte was referring to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Speaking at a gathering of local officials at the Sulong Pilipinas local governance series in Davao City on Tuesday night, Duterte said he would recommend the PCSO’s abolition if corruption in the agency persists. The President issued the warning following his appointment of former police general Jose Jorge Corpuz as chairman of the PCSO, which he said tops the list of government agencies being milked dry by corrupt officials. He said he has instructed Corpuz to do a top-to-bottom overhaul of the PCSO to weed out scalawags. He expressed confidence the PSCO will be brought back on track with Corpuz at the helm. “I hope things will improve. But sinabi ko [...]