MOURNING The flag flies at half-staff at themunicipal hall of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija province, whosemayor, Ferdinand Bote, was shot and killed on Tuesday in Cabanatuan City. 鈥擜RMAND GALANG
TAGAYTAY CITY 鈥� The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has requested a dialogue with President Rodrigo Duterte following the deadly attacks on two mayors this week.
Maria Fe Brondial, LMP national president, said on Wednesday that the country鈥檚 mayors wanted to talk with the President about his list of so-called narcopoliticians.
Several local officials on that list have been killed in the President鈥檚 brutal war on drugs.
鈥淭he mayors on the list fear for their lives. I pity them. They told me, 鈥楳ayor, we are not involved in drugs. Why are we on the list?鈥欌�� said Brondial, mayor of Socorro, Oriental Mindoro province.
The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) on Wednesday condemned what it called 鈥減remeditated killings鈥� of Tanauan City, Batangas, Mayor Antonio Halili on Monday and of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, Mayor Ferdinand Bote on Tuesday and demanded the overhaul of drug watch lists, which, it said, may have put the lives of local officials in harm鈥檚 way.
To protect the lives of local officials, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, LCP president, said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency should 鈥渇ollow due process when it validates, adjudicates and revalidates . . . [the] government鈥檚 narcolist so officials [could] be given the chance to clear their names.鈥�
A sniper, firing from a grassy knoll 150 meters away, felled Halili during flag-raising rites in front of City Hall in Tanauan on Monday morning.
Bote was being driven out of the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City on Tuesday afternoon when two motorcycle-riding men drove up to his vehicle鈥檚 side and pumped five bullets into him, killing him outright.
Halili was on the President鈥檚 list, but he denied involvement in the illegal drug trade.
The President said he believed the attack on Halili was related to drugs, but the slain mayor鈥檚 daughter, Angeline Halili, said the President had been fed wrong information.
鈥榃here鈥檚 the evidence?鈥�
鈥淭hey鈥檙e lying to him, giving him false [information] so he has to check again the validity [of the list]. What鈥檚 the proof? Where鈥檚 the evidence?鈥� Halili said.
The Central Luzon police said Bote was not on any crime watch list.
鈥淚t is not in the culture of our nation to assassinate our leaders. We are for due process and respect for the rule of law,鈥� Pamintuan said in a statement.
He called on the authorities to 鈥渆xert all efforts to solve these murders and find the masterminds.鈥�
Pe帽aranda Mayor Ferdinand Abesamis, president of the Nueva Ecija chapter of LMP, appealed for 鈥渁 thorough investigation of the murder of Mayor Bote.鈥�
LMP condemned the killings of Halili and Bote.
Supervision over police
Brondial said the mayors would ask the President to restore their power of supervision over the police, which had been withdrawn by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) because of their alleged links to the illegal drug trade.
Jovellar Mayor Jorem Arcangel, LMP president in Albay province, said he was sorry for the killings of Halili and Bote.
鈥淭he act itself is not good, particularly Halili, who was assassinated during the flag-raising at City Hall,鈥� Arcangel said.
He said if the issue with Halili had to do with drugs or his shame campaign against criminals in his city, it should have been put through due process.
鈥淏ut if politics was the reason, [you鈥檙e] not supposed to kill just to get the leadership of a certain place,鈥� he said.
Protect mayors
Dumalinao Mayor Junaflor Cerilles, president of LMP in Zamboanga del Sur province, appealed to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to protect mayors.
鈥淲ith the recent killings of local chief executives, we are now unsure of our safety, especially now that we don鈥檛 have any police escorts,鈥� Cerilles said.
The DILG is the overseer of the Philippine National Police.
Raul Palino, mayor of Teresa, Rizal province, said he was not worried about state agents going around his town and inquiring about his activities.
He said he welcomed efforts to 鈥渞evalidate鈥� the narcolist, which he had requested the DILG to do.
鈥楽peed up鈥� review
Palino also said he wanted the Napolcom to 鈥渟peed up鈥� the revalidation of the list so his name could be cleared.
Two mayors in Iloilo province, who had been accused by the President of involvement in the illegal drug trade, said they were leaving their fate to God.
鈥淥f course, I am concerned even if the allegations against me are not true. But I will leave it to God. If it鈥檚 time, it will be my time,鈥� said Mayor Salagunting Betita of Carles town.
Mayor Mariano Malones of Maasin town said he was not worried after the killings of Halili and Bote.
鈥淚f they target me, we cannot do anything about that. Even if one is heavily guarded, they will find a way,鈥� Malones said.
He said he had no plan to surround himself with bodyguards or take extra security measures.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to live an abnormal life,鈥� Malones said.
鈥楬ard targets鈥�
No Metro Manila mayor had expressed fear for their lives, but the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) advised mayors in the metropolis to make themselves 鈥渉ard targets.鈥�
Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO director, said the Metro mayors should coordinate with their local police chiefs about their safety.
He also said he had asked Metro Manila鈥檚 five police district directors to intensify patrols and intelligence gathering and set up checkpoints to shield local officials against attacks. 鈥�Reports from Michael B. Jaucian, Tonette Orejas, Armand Galang, Maricar Cinco, Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Leah Agonoy and Matthew Reysio-Cruz