The Palace declared Wednesday there was no culture of impunity and viewed the killing of two town mayors in two consecutive days as an attempt to weaken the public’s trust and confidence in President Rodrigo Duterte.
“There is no culture of impunity in the Philippines as we do not condone any state-sponsored killing,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said, adding that the government continues to adhere to the rule of law and considers the recent killings of high-profile figures as an attempt to erode confidence in the President, whose main platform of governance rests on fighting crime.
Roque was responding to Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin, who blamed the latest killings on the President, whom he said had issued a license to kill as part of his anti-drugs campaign.
Roque added that the government will not be swayed from its focus to maintain and restore secure communities.
He added that the people see Duterte as their protector, as indicated by his high scores in public opinion surveys.
On Monday, Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas was shot dead by a sniper during a flag ceremony.
Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija was ambushed in his car by a motorcycle-riding suspect on Tuesday afternoon.
The Palace said the Philippine National Police would spare no effort to find and capture the killers of the two mayors.
In a radio interview, Roque assured the family of Halili that the government was continuing its investigation into his killing, even though the President has already linked him to illegal drugs.
“What the President said was just a suspicion,” Roque said in Filipino.
Roque said the President receives prompt police reports on the status of the investigation.
“The problem is, we cannot announce these because they are part of an ongoing and live police investigation,” he said. “Let’s let them finish their investigation.”
He assured the residents of Tanauan and General Tinio that they would find justice for the two slain local executives.