MANILA (UPDATE) - President Rodrigo Duterte has fired retired Marine general Alexander Balutan as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Malacañang confirmed Friday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Balutan, who was appointed to head the PCSO in September 2016, was fired "due to serious allegations of corruption." He did not elaborate.

"Good governance and public accountability are the twin hallmarks of the Duterte Administration. These are the standards that those in the government must exercise at all times and with utmost responsibility and fidelity. Those who fail to observe the same will inexorably suffer the harsh and punitive consequences," Panelo said in a statement.

"We hope that this will serve as a stern warning to all government officials and employees that there are no sacred cows in the current administration, especially when it comes to serving the Filipino people with integrity and loyalty."

Panelo added that the campaign against corruption, like the war on illegal drugs, will be relentless and continue until the last day of the President’s term.

Balutan's deputy spokesperson Florante Solmerin, meanwhile, claimed that he "has opted to resign from his post for personal reasons."

Balutan’s firing comes a day after he said that the PCSO saw a drop in lottery sales due to smaller jackpot amounts and higher ticket prices.

Balutan said the February revenue from lotto plunged by 39.19 percent, registering only P1.59 billion in sales compared to the same period last year with P2.61 billion.

Balutan, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1983, drew controversy last year over a supposedly lavish PCSO Christmas party, where the agency spent about P6 million.

• Balutan: Spending P6M for PCSO Christmas party was 'appropriate'

He also made headlines in 2005 for defying then president Gloria Arroyo's Executive Order (EO) No. 464 barring government officials and personnel from testifying in congressional inquiries without her clearance and permission.

Balutan and his then superior, Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani, appeared before a Senate hearing and testified about alleged cheating in Mindanao in the 2004 presidential elections. He faced court martial proceedings but the charges against him proscribed in two years even before he was brought to trial.

At the height of the investigation into the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund diversion scam, Balutan posted his sentiments on social media, lamenting how the misused public funds should have been used to address the plight of communities in conflict-torn Mindanao and bring aid to soldiers. - with Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News