Sa isang pahayag, iginiit ni Presidential Spokesperson at Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo na nananatili ang tiwala ni Duterte kay Dominguez.
“Some quarters have been asking for the resignation of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez. The Palace finds no reason or basis for such call,” sabi ni Panelo.
Nasa direktang hurisdiksyon ni Dominguez ang Bureau of Customs (BOC) kung saan sinibak lahat ni Duterte ang lahat ng opisyal dahil sa korupsyon matapos namang makalusot ang P11 bilyong halaga ng shabu na nasa loob ng apat na magnetic lifters.
“Secretary Dominguez continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. As one of the President’s trusted economic managers, he steered our economy to become one of the best-performing growth leaders in the region and continues to perform remarkably,” dagdag ni Panelo.
Nauna nang ipinag-utos ni Duterte na militar ang magsagawa ng operasyon sa BOC dahil sa kontrobersya.
“On the issues surrounding the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Secretary Dominguez is aware of what is happening in the bureau. The corruption in the BOC is complex and the Secretary does not need to be blunt just to exhibit what he does to address it. He was in touch with former BOC Chief Isidro Lapeña and he is slated to meet with the new Customs head Rey Leonardo Guerrero regarding the bureau’s operations,” giit pa ni Panelo.