(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has accused former Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella of twisting his words to make it appear reelectionist Mayor Evelio Leonardia was among those included in the narco-list.
In a video uploaded on his Facebook account, President Rodrigo Duterte said he never mentioned Leonardia as among those with illegal drug links.
“Yung sinabi ni Mayor Monico na pinangalanan ko si Leonardia as one of the..di totoo yan. I was purposedly and intentionally, binaliktad ang salita. Kaya di naman ho fair yan. Actually, my advice kay Mayor Monico is that, you know, wag ganun. Tapos gamitin mo pangalan ko, tapos may mga speeches ko spnlice niyo tapos dinagdagan ninyo, pinaghalo halo ninyo na lumambas na si Leonardia ang nasa droga,” Duterte said.
According to Duterte, he only mentioned Leonardia’s name in his speech in Negros Occidental on March 8 as he was among those in a previous meeting the chief executive had with city mayors in Malacanang.
“I just mentioned the names and sinabi ko, ‘Diba mayor, andun ka (sa meeting)?'” Duterte said.
In the first place, Duterte said that even if both Leonardia and Puentevella were not included in the narco-list, he supported Leonardia’s reelectionist bid in the May elections.
He said he thought the reelectionist mayor was “the better guy, more direct and honest.”
“Kung tanungin ninyo sino ang para sa akin, I don’t want a guy na sabi ko making a fraud sa lahat ng sinasabi ko,” he said.