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[av_heading heading=’ Mayors want Malones, Betita out of Duterte narco-list’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Tuesday, May 2, 2017
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ILOILO City – Iloilo mayors Mariano Malones of Maasin and Siegfredo Salagunting Betita of Carles should be removed from President Rodrigo Duterte’s narco-list, according to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Iloilo chapter.
No charges were filed against them anyway, stressed the mayors in a resolution passed during a meeting on April 28.
Duterte accused Malones and Betita of being illegal drug protectors in August last year yet but according to LMP-Iloilo, no evidences were presented.
The resolution was addressed to Secretary Catalino Uy of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“Nakita sang mga mayors nga daw kaimposible man nga ma-involve ‘ni sila sa illegal drugs,” said Ajuy’s Mayor Jett Rojas, president of LMP-Iloilo.
He also said they addressed the resolution to DILG because the Philippine National Police which is doing the investigation is under the DILG.
“Wala man sang evidences nga substantial nga nagatudlo gid sa ila (Malones and Betita),” Rojas added.
Duterte also tagged Mayor Alex Centena of Calinog, Iloilo as an illegal drug coddler but LMP-Iloilo did not include him in its resolution.
Centena was absent in the April 28 meeting of the chapter, explained Rojas.
LMP-Iloilo may come up with another resolution should Centena request to include him, he said.
The three mayors immediately denied any involvement to illegal drugs after Duterte publicly named and shamed them.
“As far as I am concerned, inosente gid ako ya,” said Betita.
That he was supportive of Duterte’s campaign against drug trafficking made it impossible for him to get involved in the illicit trade, he stressed.
The Carles mayor asked President Duterte for a speedy investigation.
Malones, on the other hand, said he got the shock of his life.
“Dako gid ini nga pag-damage sa ngalan naton,” he stressed.
Centena, meanwhile, said he was willing to let go of the Calinog mayorship if it could be proven that he was a drug protector and user.
The accusation hurt him, said Centena, who is now on his last term. “Sin-o gin baligya-an ko drugs sa banwa ko? Masakit ni nga lahug sa kabuhi ko.”
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog was also tagged by Duterte as an illegal drugs protector but the mayor denied this./PN
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