(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday renewed his warning against local chief executives who he said were still involved in the illegal drug trade.
“Yong mga mayors na sumobra talaga…Huwag kayong magkumpiyansa sa iyang ginagawa ninyo. Do not feel so invulnerable, na pati yong mga pulis ninyo pinapatay ninyo,” Duterte said in a speech during his visit at the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) Grandstand in Sta. Maria, Zamboanga City.
According to President Duterte, he had no qualms calling these government officials out because they were “destroying the nation.”
“Ah talagang hihiritan kita. Hihiritan kita..,” he said.
In October 2016, Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom, tagged by President Duterte as a narco-politician, was killed in anti-drug operations conducted by the police in North Cotabato.
More than a week later, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was detained for his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, was killed inside the Baybay provincial jail in Leyte, during a search warrant operation by members of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) Region 8.
Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parohinog, who was also named by President Duterte as being involved in drug trafficking, was also killed in a police raid in July 2017.