‘EXPECT THE WORST’ | Jed dreads public shaming in Duterte’s 2nd SONA

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Jed dreads public shaming in Duterte’s 2nd SONA ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – What’s the worst that could happen during President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24?

For Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, it would be the President tagging Iloilo yet again as a “bedrock” of illegal drugs and the city’s mayor as a drug protector – without an iota of proof.

“I’m just praying and hoping that he will see the truth and recognize our efforts in the antidrug campaign. Pero I am also expecting the worst,” Mabilog said yesterday.

On Aug. 7, 2016 two weeks after his first SONA, the President branded Iloilo – no distinction between the city and province – as “most shabu-lized” in the country. He also accused Mabilog and three other Iloilo town mayors of being coddlers of illegal drugs.

Nearly a year after, however, the President’s accusation remains unsubstantiated and no charges have been filed against Mabilog, Maasin’s Mariano Malones, Carles’ Sigfriedo Betita, and Calinog’s Alex Centena.
The four mayors vehemently denied the President’s accusation.

Mabilog urged the Iloilo offices of concerned national government agencies such as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police to make a report on what the city government has been doing in support of the President’s war on drugs.

“Submit those reports to their higher authorities…sila man gihapon maka-determine kon what we are doing is correct, if we’ve been reaping good results, and if we have eliminated or reduced number of drug personalities in Iloilo. I’m very hopeful nga mapakita man nila where are we right now,” said Mabilog.

The President will stop linking Iloilo to illegal drugs if he is informed correctly of what’s being done, stressed the mayor.
There were only 3,180 validated drug surrenderees in Iloilo City or less than one percent affectation out of the 449,000 total population, said Mabilog, citing data from the police and PDEA.

Mabilog said 1,200 underwent rehabilitation in the city government’s Community Change Centers called Crossroads drop-in facilities in seven districts, and the program of Police Regional Office (PRO-6) in Camp Delgado.

The city government is also supportive of efforts to arrest high-value target drug personalities, said the mayor.
The City Peace and Order Council approved the release of P2 million to boost the intelligence-gathering capability of the Iloilo City Police Office and PDEA. It also approved the release of P2.34 million for the drug rehabilitation program of the PRO-6.

“Wala man nagkulang ang syudad,” said Mabilog./P
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