PDP AFFILIATION NOT ENOUGH Clearance from Du30 better, says Malones

[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]

[av_heading heading=’PDP AFFILIATION NOT ENOUGH Clearance from Du30 better, says Malones ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA and PRINCE GOLEZ
[/av_heading]

[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
[/av_textblock]

[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – A clearance from President Rodrigo Duterte, not membership to the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), is what matters most to Maasin, Iloilo’s Mayor Mariano Malones.

“Is my taking oath as PDP-Laban member enough assurance that the President won’t tag me again a drug protector? This is what makes me uneasy. I may be embarrassed once again,” said Malones.

August last year, Duterte publicly named and shamed Malones and two other Iloilo provincial mayors as drug coddlers. But Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. recently said these mayors were now welcome to join the President’s party, citing the statement of the party’s secretary general, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

“Happy ako sa good news ni Governor Defensor nga cleared kami,” said Malones. But he believed a pronouncement from the President would be better.

In Metro Manila, PDP-Laban president Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III clarified that the decision to allow Malones, mayors Alex Centena of Calinog and Sigfredo Betita of Carles to join the ruling party was not yet final.

“If the President objects, even if they are already accepted into the party, we’ll tell them sorry,” Pimentel told Panay News.

But those not in Duterte’s narco-list are certainly welcome to join PDP-Laban, he stressed.

“We have a list and we check versus our list. ‘Pag wala dun, pweede. Pero if sabihin ng Presidente na ‘wag, eh wala kaming magagawa,” said Pimentel.

Malones said he was told that “no one could issue us a clearance because the allegation made against us was merely verbal, there were no documentary proofs.”

“Tinaga man lang, so sa tinaga man lang kami mabawi eh,” said Malones.

The mayor, however, did not totally shot down the possibility of joining PDP-Laban. He planned to invite the President to grace Maasin’s centennial celebration on July 25, 2018.

Malones recalled the President’s promise during a trip to Davao City last year that the country’s chief executive would visit Maasin and himself clear the mayor.

Maasin has been declared drug-cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6 and Police Regional Office 6.

“Perhaps that would be the right time to take oath as party member,” said Malones.

The mayor indicated, though, he may no longer be active in politics after his third and final term ends in 2019.

“Daw waay naman ako intensyon magdalagan pa. Daw waay man ako handum gid magsumpa to any party kay tapos naman termino ko. What is the purpose of that? Pulitika. Ti waay naman ako sina no,” said Malones.

But the mayor stressed he would remain supportive of Defensor.

“Ako ‘ya I’m still supporting our governor. Wala man problema ‘na. Ang gina-ano lang naton, ang kahuya nga naagom ko isa na ka-tuig. Basi madugangan kon wala sang clearance mismo sang Presidente,” said Malones.

The other Iloilo town mayors Duterte tagged as drug protectors were Sigfredo Betita of Carles and Alex Centena of Calinog.

All three mayors denied the President’s allegation. Over a year now since the accusation was made in August 2016, no formal complaint has been filed against them.

The other day, Centena welcomed Alvarez’s pronouncement about them but stressed he would like to be formally cleared first of the allegation.

A written clearance from Alvarez or the Department of Interior and Local Government would be better than just taking oath as PDP-Laban member, said Centena./PN
[/av_textblock]

[/av_one_full]