I have girlfriends, not cronies – Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — As critics accuse him of creating his own oligarchs and favoring the business interests of his allies, President Duterte insisted he has no cronies, saying he does not have use for them.

Duterte said some people have raised doubts on his plans, including his directive to rehabilitate Boracay island, a tourist destination he had previously called a “cesspool.”

“Boracay used to be dirty. I had it rehabilitated. It’s now clean. But behind my back, many are talking, especially the rich people who are interested. ‘Duterte will give that to his cronies,’ ” the President said during the distribution of assistance to farmers in Cotabato last Friday.

“Wala akong crony. May girlfriends ako. Crony wala akong silbi ’yang – hindi ko mayakap ’yang mga buwang na ’yan. Ang akin, girlfriends. Wala akong crony (I do not have cronies. I have girlfriends. I do not have use for cronies I cannot hug those crazies. I have girlfriends. I don’t have cronies),” he added.

Duterte said he has placed Boracay under land reform to dispel claims that he would give the island to cronies.

The Chief Executive claimed some of the problems hounding the Philippines were caused by rich people.

“To the rich, you know, (if) you have the social conscience, you won’t have any problem with me. By the mercy of God, I did not accept contributions from you during the election. I worked on a shoestring budget,” he said.

Duterte has been hurling tirades at some of the country’s top businessmen, accusing them of various wrongdoings, including using “onerous” deals to earn huge sums at the expense of the public.

He has claimed that water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad have taken advantage of their contracts with the government to earn billions at the expense of Filipino consumers.

The President has also announced that he would offer new contracts to the water firms but clarified that the concessionaires could still face charges even if they accept the deal.

He has also vowed to block the renewal of the franchise of Lopez-owned ABS-CBN and has advised its owners to just sell the television network. ABS-CBN, whose franchise is set to expire this March, has been accused by Duterte of biased reporting and of not returning the money he had spent for a campaign advertisement that did not air.

Critics suspect that Duterte is lambasting the water concessionaires and ABS-CBN so that their owners would be forced to sell them to his friends.

Malacañang has denied the allegation, saying the President is just against unfair deals and anomalies.

Officials have also claimed that the President is committed to ensuring a competitive economic climate.