Public Servants Must Be Tough and Mindful of their Statements
I believe it is true that politicians must not be very sensitive against criticisms but they must also not engage in careless remarks.
After the first case since his presidency was filed against former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, his son, Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte said that public servants must not be “onion-skinned”.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro filed a complaint against former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte after his alleged threats against her life. It was after the former Chief Executive said in an October 11 episode of a program aired in SMNI channel that he told his daughter, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, on how to use the confidential funds.
“Pero ang una mong target diyan [sa] intelligence fund mo, kayo, ikaw France, kayong mga Komunista ang gusto kong patayin,” the President said.
Vice Pres. Duterte’s 2022 Confidential Funds were surrounded by issues and questions after her office spent P125 million in just 19 days — previously reported as only 11 days. Her office is asking for P500 million CIFs for the OVP and P150 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) which she also leads. However, several lawmakers support the realignment of the CIFs.
A house panel even gave zero confidential funds to the OVP and DepEd as well as a few other government agencies. The said fund is designed to support the activities and projects relevant to national security and peace and order.
Following the filing of the case against his father, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte made the statement that politicians must not be “onion-skinned”. He further expressed that his father has received much harsher criticisms during his term as president.
I believe in what Rep. Duterte said that public servants must not be onion-skinned. It is true that politicians are among those that receive different kinds of cricitisms from people they do know and mostly those they do not know. Considering their status, they are prone to both praises and mindless remarks.
However, while public servants must not be onion-skinned, they should also not engage in careless remarks most especially when something is aired on television. They are among the people with the biggest influence and they have the option to use the influence in a positive way. Even if a statement is just a joke, it can influence those who don’t get it the way it is meant to be.
Instead of saying just what they want to say in the pursuit of displaying bravery, I believe it is much more meaningful to influence the public to be mindful in making remarks most especially on serious matters. Public servants must be both tough and a good example to the people.
Disclaimer: The content of the article posted above is an opinion of the writer. Also, the citations provided are based on the information deemed as facts by the different legit sources that contribute to the basis of the making of the whole viewpoint. The writer does not, in any form, intend to create inaccurate understanding of the topic or influence the readers instead, express one’s viewpoint in a formal manner.
