Leyte town mayor’s ‘all-out war’

DAGAMI, Leyte – Dagami Mayor Abundio I. Dellusa is waging war against all illegal activities in his town.

Dellusa said the campaign was launched after he met with President Duterte in Malacañang last month.

A retired police official before he ran for public office, Dellusa said the municipal mayors from the Visayas and Mindanao promised the President to help him crack down on all forms of illegal activities.

Helping the mayor in campaign is the town’s new police chief, Inspector Arnel Tamayo, who assumed his post last week from Sr. Inspector Eriprando Castilo.

Dellusa said Tamayo, who hails from Baguio City, will help him in the fight against illegal drugs, illegal gambling and illegal logging.

Already, Dellusa has asked for the resignation of the barangay chairman of Cansamada West for failing to stamp out drug trafficking in his barangay.

He also denied coddling illegal loggers in the town, saying it was a political issue raised by his opponents during the last elections. Dellusa was re-elected to a second term.

Dellusa said that after Super Typhoon Yolanda struck Leyte and Samar, he helped in the cutting of fallen coconut trees in Dagami and his political foes capitalized on it and accused him of illegal logging.

Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) Officer Manuel Ferreras cleared Dellusa, saying the mayor even helped the agency in running after illegal lumber cutters in the mountains of Dagami.