(Eagle News) – Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque maintained that President Rodrigo Duterte had “access to information” that many people had no access to before he asserted that Naga City was a “hotbed of shabu.”
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Roque said that the President is not politicizing the issue and is just stating the facts based on the information he had.
“I’m sure he has access to information indicating certain areas to be hotbeds of shabu and he must have seen in the report that Naga is one of them,” he said.
“Siguro naman po ang shabu hindi pupulitikahin ni Presidente,” Roque told reporters.
The President made the statement that Naga City was a “hotbed” for shabu in a speech before business leaders during a Go Negosyo launch of the ‘Pilipinas Angat Lahat’ program at the Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace on August 14.
He also mentioned during his speech that he was thinking of resigning but that he did not approve of a constitutional succession at this time, claiming that Vice-President Leni Robredo lacked the competence to lead the country.
Robredo served as the congresswoman of Camarines Sur’s third district, which includes Naga City, before she ran for vice-president.
Her late husband, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, had also served as a mayor of Naga City from June 2001 to June 2010.
“I am hesitant to suggest a Constitutional succession. I have nothing against Robredo. She’s a lawyer. You have heard her talk. But I do not think she can improve on anything here. Of course, she will deny it,” Duterte said during his speech on Aug. 14.
“But you can ask the hotbed of shabu in the past years. I would not mention the name kasi — it was Naga City. It was in Naga City,” the President added.
Roque said that the President would not mention Naga City out of thin air, and that he would not mention that if he had no basis for his allegation.
“Buong Pilipinas naman po may problema sa shabu, siguro sinasabi lang niya mas matindi ang problema doon sa ilang lugar kagaya ng Naga.. at ako naman po I tend to believe na may mga area talaga na medyo nahuhuli sa development doon talaga lumalakas yung merkado ng pinagbabawal na gamut dahil nandoon yung mga conditions,” he said.
“In any case, I don’t think it’s something that the President will say from thin air because he has access to information that even you and I don’t have access to,” Roque added.
Naga City Mayor John Bongat said that it was difficult to say what made the President state that the city was a “hotbed” for shabu, saying drugs can be found throughout the country.
“Shabu is not [particular] to one city alone. It is existent in all cities in the country, hindi lang naman Naga, buong Pilipinas yata,” he said in an interview on GMA’s Balitanghali.
