The Philippines: Duterte calls out Pacquiao for comments on corruption

• President Rodrigo Duterte on the night of 28 Jun 21, dared Sen. Manny Pacquiao to name corrupt officials and agencies so he can do something about it.
• Otherwise, Duterte — the chairman of the administration PDP-Laban party — said, he will campaign against Pacquiao, who is the party’s acting president.
• Members of PDP-Laban have been urging Duterte to run for vice president and to pick the presidential candiate he will run alongside, an option that he said is “not at all a bad idea.”
• He said, however, that he cannot work with someone who opposes him.
• “I’m not saying there is no corruption, so expose it,” Duterte said in a televised late night national address. “If you don’t do that, I will expose you daily as a liar … I know you from way back.”
• Using an expletive in his strongest language yet against Pacquiao, Duterte said if he did not reveal corruption, he would be “playing politics” and pledged to take action against any erring officials.
• “If you fail to do that, I will campaign against you because you are not doing your duty. Do it because if not, I will just tell the people: ‘Do not vote for Pacquiao because he is a liar’,” Duterte also said.
• It was not immediately clear what officials he was urging Pacquiao to expose, or why. Pacquiao has not publicly been speaking about any allegations of high-level corruption in recent days, but he is quoted making general statements about corruption in a Dec 20 podcast interview on Nas Daily.
• The president on 28 Jun 21 said that Pacquiao should have come to him to raise his concerns over corruption in government.
• Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has told Pacquiao to leave the ruling PDP-Laban party after Duterte lashed out at the boxer-turned-lawmaker over comments he allegedly made about corruption in government.
• Cusi said it was “really unfortunate” that Pacquiao accused the Duterte administration of corruption, adding that the party would likely not support Pacquiao if he decides to run for president in the 2022 elections.
• Another supposedly unauthorized national council and national assembly meeting will take place on 16 and 17 Jul 21, where Pacquiao is rumored to be ousted as PDP-Laban’s acting president.
• Duterte’s comments on 28 Jun 21 indicate rising tension within the administration party, whose members held a national assembly despite protests from Pacquiao, who said that meetings need the endorsement of the party’s president and chairman.
• Duterte earlier in Jun 21 told Pacquiao to study the West Philippine Sea issue more before making comments on the government’s policy on the presence of Chinese vessels there. He said that the senator “has a very shallow knowledge” of the issue.

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/29/2108916/duterte-calls-out-pacquiao-comments-corruption

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/29/2108952/pacquiao-told-leave-pdp-laban-over-supposed-comments-corruption

External Link : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-duterte-challenges-pacquiao-expose-corruption-2021-06-28/