President Rodrigo Duterte called on Filipino-Chinese businessmen not to give in to demands by corrupt government officials, and said they should report such offers to the authorities and he would do something about it.
Mr. Duterte also promised to show no mercy to the crooked government workers and said their positions could be given to any of the numerous Filipinos looking for jobs.
Addressing members of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Duterte said corruption was pulling the country down.
“If somebody asks for a compromise, you don’t have to give in. Don’t waste your money on the corrupt. Nothing will happen there,” he said.
They should shun bribes even for traffic violations and should just surrender their licenses, he said.
“Just pay the fine rather than allow this guy to continue with his trade. He would just victimize more people, even your children and fellow Chinese,” he said.
As for government workers, he said they should cut red tape and not give people transacting with the government the runaround.