President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his warning to all mayors who were being linked to illegal drugs to stop, saying there were still a lot of Cebu mayors who are included in the drug list.
“We have the drug problem. I must say that here in Cebu, a lot of… One of the severe problems of Cebu is drugs and it has contaminated a lot of policemen here,” Duterte said during the inauguration of the new Mactan International Airport.
“As I’ve said, one day I am going to take an action against all of you. Cebu is impoverished because of drugs,” the President said.
“It used to be controlled by a mayor on the western side, and that would be… It’s Mabilog and I warned him repeatedly that, you know,” he said.
Duterte said he was not just mad at Mabilog but want him killed.
“Other mayors here are also in the list. Do not ever, ever think that you can fool government. As I have repeatedly said that I will not hesitate to take you out if you destroy my country. There is nothing wrong in that statement,” the President said, his latest tirade against local officials in Cebu.
“My job, my oath of office mandates me to protect the people and that includes the military. That’s our job, and to preserve the nation.
“Al of you mayors, including governors, don’t be confident. I would not let my country be destroyed by drugs,” he said.
At the same event, Duterte congratulated the newly elected barangay leaders and urged them to always be true to their mandate of serving the people.
“It’s not a threat, it’s just advice,” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, Human Right Watch took Duterte to task for promoting suspects in the Kian delos Santos killing, saying this was a “cruel afront” to the families of victims.
“They underscore the importance of an International Criminal Court preliminary examination into the killings and the need for a parallel United Nations investigation to ensure accountability for those deaths,” he added.
One of the suspects, Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna, confirmed he had been promoted to police chief in Bulacan province.
Chief Supt. Robert Fajardo, another suspect, was promoted to chief of the PNP Highway Patrol Group.
In August 2017 police officers under the supervision of Bersaluna and Fajardo killed 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.
On Thursday, police in Angeles City confiscated P4 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Cutud.
The Regional Drug Enforcement Unit of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) conducted the operation against Jay-Ann Salonga, 27, a resident of this city, after receiving information that the latter sold illegal drugs.