Manila: In line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s instructions to government executives to avoid any semblance of privilege, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued a directive mandating officials to use simple vehicles for conveyance.
“The present administration has vowed to be more prudent in the use of public funds. As part of this advocacy, the government should get rid of and abstain from using luxury motor vehicles and make use of transport units with common and simple specifications,” said a circular issued on August 22 by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
During his campaign, Duterte had promised to strip government executives of the privilege they had enjoyed during previous administrations.
Previously, government executives, including top ranking officials in the police and military, would not be caught riding in a vehicle not classified as ‘luxury’, with big gas-guzzling engines with displacements of up to five litres.
Duterte said such pomposity not only draws disdain from the common Filipino who could not afford such expensive cars but also serves as temptation for the official to live above his means.
Under the new DBM circular, department secretaries and ambassadors or chief of missions can only use vehicles below 2.2 litres for petrol-fed engines and three litres for diesel-motored cars.
Department Undersecretary and other officials of equivalent statures in government-owned-and-controlled corporations and local government units as well as the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are mandated to use cars not exceeding 1.6 litres for petrol-fed and 2.5 litres for diesel-fuelled vehicles.
Those required to use sedans or hatchbacks with engine displacement not exceeding 1.5 litres include Department Assistant Secretaries, the vice-chief of staff and the Commanding Generals of major services and equivalent ranks in local government units such as mayors.
Duterte has cultivated an image of frugality over the course of the more than two decades he’s served in government. He is frequently photographed riding economy class while flying from Manila to Davao City.
