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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s “medyo wala na” statement on the illegal drug situation in Iloilo.
“I am glad the President recognized that things have changed and improved in this city,” said Drilon during a visit on Saturday.
The senator was pleased that “the efforts of the local government in clearing up what is alleged to be prevalence of drugs here” was recognized, too.
During a private dinner at Malacañang Park Monday night last week, Duterte told reporters, “Ang mga mayors d’yan pati barangay captains…‘Di ba sinabi ko sa inyo Iloilo was the hotbed (of illegal drugs)? Ngayon medyo wala na, wala na (Now, it’s kind of waning).”
Drilon emphasized, too, that no case has been filed against Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog whom the President tagged as a drug protector.
Drilon and Mabilog were second cousins.
According to the President, one of reasons for the waning of illegal drugs in Iloilo was the death of suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. He described Odicta as a “big fish” and source of shabu proliferating in areas west of Cebu.
Drilon was here on Saturday to inaugurate phase 3 of the Iloilo Esplanade and the Nabitasan-San Rafael bypass road. He also facilitated the two-day concert of Manila Symphony Orchestra at Molo Church and the Iloilo Convention Center on Aug. 25 to 26.
In an interview in Manila last year, Drilon said, “Wala pong pruwebang ipinakita na si (there is no proof that) Mayor Mabilog ay involved sa droga.”
“With the social media today, kung sasabihin mong ang tao ay may pagkukulang lalo na sa ganitong maselan na bagay, sana naman may matibay na ebidensya,” Drilon told Metro Manila journalists.
While the senator acknowledged the country’s problem on illegal drugs, the killing of drug suspects won’t solve it, the senator also said.
“It’s a question of what kind of policies or remedy should be adopted to solve this problem,” stressed Drilon.
Unidentified gunmen shot to death Odicta at the jetty port of Caticlan, Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29, 2016 three weeks after Duterte called Iloilo “most shabulized” and publicly linked four Iloilo mayors to illegal drugs – Alex Centena of Calinog, Mabilog of Iloilo City, Sigfriedo Betita of Carles, and Mariano Malones of Maasin.
The four mayors vehemently denied being illegal drug protectors.
Over a year after the President named and shamed them, his accusation remains unsubstantiated and no charges have been filed against Mabilog, Malones, Betita, and Centena./PN
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