Duterte stresses warning to LCEs,

enjoins VMLP in anti-drugs, crime

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, June 28 (PIA)—President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his warning to local chief executives who are indifferent about supporting his drive fighting crimes and drugs as he rallied the 1,632 members of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) to join him in his campaign to build the country.

The president, who came in to grace the 25^th National Convention of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) held at the Pavillion of the Bellevue Hotel in Doljo Panglao, apparently believed the local legislators can in fact, alter the crime situation if they become mayors.

“I’m addressing to you like mayors kasi wala man kayong pupuntahan next election. Magtakbo man talaga kayo ng mayor. Sigurado ‘yan,” (you have nowhere to go in the next elections, you would have to run for mayors, I am certain) he said as a matter-of-fact.

Hinting that the effort the local government heads, especially the mayors in fighting drugs and crimes is simply wanting, the president, who was a former vice mayor, mayor and congressman, shared how he built Davao to be among the country’s top cities.

He told vice mayors that he earlier called mayors and governors in Malacanang to order them to shape up and stop their involvement in drugs.

Duterte, in his black polo shirt and dark pants, arrived at the gathering of about 600 vice mayors representing the local government unit members of the VGLP, and relayed to the vice mayors that he had ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) through Secretary Eduardo Año to check on the mayors.

Yung mga mayors na hindi makapag-control ng crimes, (Mayors who could not control crimes) every now and then, may buy-bust dito, buy bust doon, (buy-bust here, buy bust there) and it numbers like 20 buy-bust operations a day, tanggalin mo yung pulis nila (relieve their police), the President told the DILG.

To the mayors, he warned: “If you are not doing anything, I will file charges against you and sabihin ko kay Año, “i-dismiss mo.” (I will tell [Sec] Año to dismiss you).

“You recommend for the dismissal and I will sign it,” he relayed his instructions to the DILG, to the heads of the local legislature.

In place of the relieved police, he said he will place his police and the DILG sits as mayor, whom, he ordered, would not mind the mayors. 

And to the under-performing, the president said, “I will file a case against you. Serious neglect of duty or simple neglect, or gross ignorance of the law or oppression, or simply doing nothing.”

After decades that the country’s executive simply relegates law enforcement to the local governments, crimes and drugs continue to escalate, until many people felt it was not safe to go out anymore.

Duterte, in his bid to the presidential seat, promised to fight drugs, corruption, bring down criminality and improve the economic condition of the country.

Upon his election, President Duterte hit the ground running, rolled his sleeves to led the fight.

But, over a year into his campaign, he felt he should need the help of local governments.   

As an instruction, President Duterte said, “Just enforce the law. You are there to enforce the law, protect the people and preserve the Republic of the Philippines as a nation,”

“I want to do it personally to solve it, to be on hands. The problem is I’m just a human being and I can only do so much, he bemoaned, his speech eaten by the packed crowd inside the tent pavilion. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

“Just enforce the law, you are there to enforce the law,” President Rodrigo Duterte tells the vice mayors as he reiterates his mandate to DILG to audit mayors who could not control crimes and dismiss the under-performing officials who are indifferent to the president’s campaign. (Nieto Calope/PIA7/Bohol)