DA Sec defends Duterte, asks Tindig Pilipinas what it has done for the country
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| Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol and Tindig Pilipinas Group, photo compiled from Google |
This was in line with the nationwide transport strike on Monday.
The DA Sec said that he was supposed to meet with a Japanese group to discuss a project, along with officials of the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA), the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
He said they were supposewd to meet to discussa breakthrough in agriculture, a drone sprayer which enables farmers to spray pesticides even in the most treacherous moutainsides such as the terraces in Benguet.
He said he is saddened by that while many other people are spending sleepless nights thinking of ways to improve the plight of the ordinary Filipino, there are groups who are hell bent on bringing this government down.
Pinol defended the president by all who allege of his hidden wealth amounting to millions.
He said he has known Duterte as a close friend for 25 years, him being a godfather of his 15 year old son, and that in that span of time, there was never an instance where the President lived any display of wealth.
He crticized how Tindig Pilipinas insists that Duterte is a thief and pestered him to sign a waiver so his bank account can be scrutinized.
"I am all for checks and balances, transparency and clean governance but I simply cannot comprehend the position of the group in asking President Duterte to account for his actions before he became leader of this country," he said.
"If Duterte is indeed corrupt, then I could say that he is very good at hiding his loot because I have never seen any display of wealth in the 25 years that I have known him. Does he have hundreds of millions? I doubt it very much because there is no ostentatious display of wealth. Thieves steal because they like to enjoy the good life - gambling, wining and womanising. They do not steal to stash their loot somewhere with no one benefitting from it," he added.
The DA sec added that Duterte lived in a low-cost housing subdivision, wore simple clothes, ate in ordinary places, and appreciated simple gifts from friends and leads a frugal life all these years,
He insisted that there is simply no way that the President has been faking everything for so long.
"I believe what "Tindig Pilipinas" should focus on now is whether Duterte or his family is stealing from government.The issue is today, not yesterday, because the people have already passed judgement on the Duterte who ran for President and that is the sovereign will of the people," he said.
He furthered, " The greatest scourge of this nation is the mindset of many of us that we are better, more righteous, more correct and more morally upright than the person next to us. Amidst the noise that they are creating, "Tindig Pilipinas" members should be asked: What are you doing to contribute to nation building?"
Source: Manny Piñol
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