When is a gift to a Filipino cop not bribery? When it’s given with ‘gratitude’, President Duterte says
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says gifts can be accepted by members of police force he once called ‘corrupt to the core’
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been criticised for comments that have been interpreted as his endorsement of police accepting bribes.
During a speech at an anniversary event Friday for the Philippine National Police (PNP), Durtete said in Tagalog: “If you are able to solve a crime and the family would like to be generous to you or would nurture a feeling of gratitude for what you accomplish, then by all means, accept it.”
He also derided as “nonsense” an anti-corruption law that forbids civil servants accepting gifts.
Under that law, both the government official and the gift giver could get a jail term of up to 10 years.
Panfilo Lacson, a senator and the former head of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, said even a simple form of corruption could fuel “insatiable greed”.
“Insatiable greed starts with simple, petty graft. It could be more addicting than drugs,” Lacson said in a tweet in response to Duterte’s comments. “There is no detox, nor is there rehab facility available for addiction to money.”
