What Happened
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday banned cabinet officials from attending a Senate inquiry of suspected irregularities in massive government purchases of medical supplies. Duterte on television Thursday night told the officials that he was making a written order banning them from attending the inquiry, which included three secretaries dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with announcing the banishment, Duterte also took the opportunity to bash senators, accusing them of using the probe to gain a political advantage in the country's upcoming elections. The Cabinet's banishment comes after Duterte's September 14th announcement that members had to earn his consent before attending the senate hearings. In the Philippine constitution, cabinet officials must obey Senate summons. If they are ignored, officials can be arrested for contempt. When confronted with this obstacle, Duterte explained, "I am the commander in chief anyway," ordering the military and police to refrain from aiding the Senate Sergeant at arms from enforcing arrests.
Background on Investigation
Senator Richard Gordon, the probe leader, and others questioned whether there was overpricing and other abnormalities in the Philippine's purchasing of masks and PPE. Why? In 2019, Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., the company that supplied the Philippines with PPE, only had a capital of $12,500 but was able to secure multi-million dollar contracts. If that isn't suspicious enough, one of Duterte's former economic advisors was a Chinese Businessman with ties to Pharmally. Interestingly enough, in 2020, Duterte ordered a government-wide corruption probe because of the ongoing government corruption. Now, he is trying to impede the same activity he supported, implying he has something to hide. If Duterte knew that senator Gordon would not find any evidence, he would have his arms outstretched, displaying his innocence to the public. By doing the complete opposite, Duterte is showing his constituents that he is indeed corrupt and cannot own up to his mistakes.
Importance
Duterte asserting more control over his Cabinet could potentially be a stepping stone to more major constitutional defiance. Usually, when a leader in power defies laws and is increasingly controlling, it leads to an authoritarian regime, as seen in Russia. Even though Putin is technically the president, his control and defiance of the law made him a tyrannical ruler. If Duterte's constitutional disrespect isn't stopped, he could become a dictator, destroying the Philippines' democracy.
Links:
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1352947/duterte-orders-government-wide-probe-of-corruption
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