Duterte to oust mayors incompetent vs drugs, crime

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing to boot out mayors who fail to address the illegal drugs problem and high crime rate in his area of jurisdiction.

Speaking before the vice mayors in Bohol, the President lamented that some of the mayors appear to be neglecting their duties to address the drug problem.

He said he would not hesitate to oust the incompetent mayors and file charges against them.

"If you are a mayor, you are the president of your municipality. [But] my God, how come there's a high crime rate in your municipalities?” the President said.

"I will remove you and I will file a case against you -- serious neglect of duty or simple neglect, gross ignorance of the law or oppression or simply doing nothing. If you're not doing anything, I will file charges against you,” he added.

Duterte made the pronouncement two days after he instructed Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año to audit local governments with high crime rates and rampant illegal drugs trade.

In his latest speech, the President told the mayors that they should fulfill their mandate to protect the Filipino people and preserve the country.

"Actually, what I want you to do, just enforce the law. You are there to enforce the law, you are mayor," he said. "You read your oath of office. The long and short of that, you can reduce it in two sentences not in so many words, it simply says protect the people and preserve the Republic of the Philippines as a nation."

Duterte said he would seek Año's recommendation on which mayors are incapable of helping government eradicate illegal drugs.

The President also threatened to strip erring mayors of their police powers, and in turn, let the police have the jurisdiction over the municipalities that have a high number of cases of criminality and illegal drugs.

"I said, those mayors who cannot prevent crimes, and every now and then there's a buy-bust operation anywhere, and it numbers like 20 buy-bust operation[s] a day, strip him of his supervision and control over the police in their respective areas,” he said.

"I will let my police to be the mayor there. Insofar as law and order [is concerned], you are the mayor. Do not mind the mayors there [who will be removed],” he said. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)