Probe on mayors in Duterte drug list stalls

ILOILO City – Department of Interior a nd Local Government’s ( DILG) Task Force Agila investigating local government officials that President Rodrigo Duterte linked to illegal drugs was dissolved.

“There was this unexpected turn of events,” revealed DILG undersecretary for operations John Castriciones who was here yesterday.

Among those that Task Force Agila was investigating

were mayors Jed Patrick Mabilog of this city; Mariano Malones of Maasin, Iloilo; Sigfriedo Betita of Carles, Iloilo; and Alex Centena of Calinog, Iloilo.

“The then DILG secretary (Ismael Sueno) dissolved Task Force Agila. In the memorandum he issued, he placed it under the function of the ICAD,” Castriciones told journalists during a forum on federalism.

Sueno dissolved the task force before the President kicked him out of the Cabinet on April 3.

ICAD is the Inter- agency Committee on Anti- Illegal Drugs that President Duterte himself created to oversee the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, said Castriciones.

ICAD is composed of 18 agencies or departments but does not include the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Castriciones did not explain why.

According to the undersecretary, ICAD has not initiated its own investigation on the local government officials the President linked to illegal drugs.

He wasn’t sure, too, if ICAD would continue the probe where Task force Agila left off or if it would include in its investigation the task force’s findings.

“We have to wait for the decision of the incoming DILG secretary,” said Castriciones.

The incoming DILG secretary is General Eduardo Año, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Because of his Cabinet appointment, he is bowing out of the military service by the end of this month instead of October.

“In the event that he orders the resumption of the functions and duties of Task Force Agila, we will gladly comply because we are almost through with it. I have already prepared a lot of reports,” said Castriciones.

In an interview in February, the undersecretary said none of the Iloilo mayors President Duterte linked to illegal drugs had been cleared yet.

Citing a supposedly revalidated list that the President forwarded to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), the camps of the mayors claimed their names were not in it.

The task force chairperson, Castriciones said he had no idea about that list.

As the agency tasked to conduct the investigation, he said, any supposed clearing of public officials included in the President’s first list should come from DILG and not from anyone else.

“From what I understand, police officials linked to drugs should be cleared by the police. It is the DILG that should clear local government officials, and it is the Armed Forces of the Philippines that should clear soldiers. On the other hand, it is the Supreme Court that should clear judges and prosecutors linked to drugs,” said Castriciones.

Late last month, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Iloilo chapter came out with a resolution urging the removal of mayors Malones and Betita from President Duterte’s narco-list.

No charges were filed against them anyway, stressed the mayors’ league.

Duterte accused Malones and Betita of being illegal drug protectors in August last year yet but according to LMP-Iloilo, no evidences were presented.

There solution was addressed to Acting Secretary Catalino Uy of DILG.

mayors involve illegal “Nakita sang mga drugs,” said Ajuy’s Mayor Jett nga daw kaimposible man nga Rojas, president of LMP-Iloilo. ma- ‘ ni sila sa

evidences substantial

(Malones and Betita),” “Wala man sang Rojas added. nga nga nagatudlo

LMP- Iloilo, however, did gid sa ila not include Mayor Centena 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,

ya,” said Betita. That he was supportive of Duterte’s campaign against drug inosente gid ako 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.

“pag- damage naton,” he stressed. Dako gid i ni nga Centena s aid he was

sa ngalan 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. “drugs ko?

ko.”/ Sin-o gin baligya-an ko sa banwa Masakit ni nga lahug sa kabuhi