President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he was willing to sell his presidential burial plot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in exchange for P1 million for the benefit of the Philippine General Hospital, adding he wanted to be cremated instead.
“I do not even want to be remembered. I have prepared for my funeral. In Camp Aguinaldo, there’s a lot there reserved for presidents. If you want, you can buy it from me. Just give one million pesos to PGH and I’ll execute a waiver. I’ll give it to you,” the 74-year-old Duterte told his audience in Malacanañg.
“Just burn me when the time comes. Twenty-four hours, no vigil. Just throw it there and leave a part beside my mother’s urn. I’m not into this publicity. I’m ashamed.”
In his speech, President Duterte challenged government officials to visit public hospitals to understand the plight of the poor”•even as he lamented the sorry state of the PGH.
The PGH is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines-Manila and which serves 600,000 patients annually.
Duterte even claimed that the medical interns there were forced to provide medicines for patients “who are lying in the throes of death on the floor.”
“Try to visit. I challenge you. Try to visit public hospitals especially if there is contagion. All of them are lying on the floor. Look at them carefully,” Duterte said.
He reminded his audience that government officials should not nurture a personal loyalty to him, adding they should uphold the Constitution instead.
He also reminded them of their obligation to serve the country with integrity, impartiality, and independence.
“Do not nurture a personal loyalty to me. I don’t need it. And I cannot run anymore,” he said.