Duterte: Abuel to remain OIC of Budget department until the end of my term

(Eagle News)—President Rodrigo Duterte will no longer appoint a permanent Budget secretary until the end of his term.

According to Duterte, he would let Acting Secretary Janet Abuel lead the department as acting secretary until 2022.

She is — spent her lifetime counting the money and dividing it among us. So I am not appointing a new — a regular appointment. Si ma’am will just act as OIC until I — in God’s time matapos ako three years. Three years lang naman ma’am,” Duterte said in a briefing with government officials in Pampanga.

She urged Abuel to “punch” legislators who will get in her way.

“May congressman ba dito?” he asked.

Abuel was appointed OIC of the department after Ben Diokno was appointed governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to replace Nestor Espenilla who passed away.