A stern internal cleansing of the bureaucracy will be a priority of Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson should he win the presidential election this May.
Lacson said it is time to purge the bureaucracy of public servants who betray their oath by failing to provide public service – or worse, by engaging in various forms of corruption, including bribery and even extortion.
“We should get rid of them,” said the senator when asked what he would do with misfits in the government, especially those who steal.
“So, what we need is one intense internal cleansing of the government. Unless we do that, how can we start to address our people’s needs,” Lacson added.
He said this is in line with his campaign promise of “Aayusin ang Gobyerno, Aayusin ang Buhay ng Bawa’t Pilipino (Fix the Government, Fix the Lives of Each Filipino).”
Meanwhile, Lacson welcomed the National Privacy Commission’s investigation into the alleged “hacking” and data breach at the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
He also instructed his in-house cyber-security team to cooperate with the NPC investigation and share what leads it may have gathered.
“It is good that the NPC is investigating this. It is critical that we get to the bottom of this issue so all of us will be enlightened,” Lacson said.
Lacson said he has done this before – when as Chief of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, he rid the police force of “kotong” cops and pot-bellied policemen through a combination of stern discipline and leadership by example.
“Our bureaucracy currently has 1.2 to 1.5 million members. I don’t care if I’m left with 500,000 so long as they are honest and hardworking,” he said.
“We know there are many government offices where employees do not serve the public and instead engage in thievery and corruption. What can the people do if their supposed public servants are a burden instead?” he added.
Lacson said disciplining the bureaucracy will be the key to regaining the trust of the people, in the same way the PNP under his watch earned not just the trust but also the respect and cooperation of the people.
“So, my call is to fix the government in order to improve the lives of each Filipino. There’s no other way,” he said.
Lacson said his cyber-security team is following some leads, including a Facebook post dated November 21 last year, but noted there is “nothing conclusive” so far.
Still, he said he instructed the team to extend assistance to the investigation by sharing its leads with the NPC, which is to hold a clarificatory meeting on Jan. 25.
If the hacking is true, he said it may have a huge implication on the May 9 elections,” he said.`
