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BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Saturday, February 4, 2017
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ILOILO – Another mayor announced he was not in President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of government officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
Alex Centena of Calinog town personally verified it with Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles, regional police director.
“Gentiles told me, ‘Congratulations for your record, and thank you for your support in the fight against illegal drugs,’” Centena told Panay News in a phone interview.
Yesterday, the mayor went to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) in Camp Delgado in Iloilo City where the President forwarded the list.
“Happy man ako. Daw na kuhaan ako sang tunok,” Centena said. “Ano bala nga gub-on ngalan mo [sang butang] nga waay mo man nahimo.”
While Centena did not actually see the list, the mayor said Gentiles confirmed that his name was not in it.
In a speech in August last year, Duterte tagged four mayors in Iloilo as “drug protectors”: Centena, Mariano Malones of Maasin, Siegfredo Betita of Carles, and Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City.
All of them denied the President’s allegation.
Malones also visited the PRO-6 on Feb. 1 and learned from Gentiles that his name was not in the President’s list.
But Malones said he will further verify it with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which formed a task force that investigated all the public officials Duterte tagged to the illicit trade.
Centena said his family and constituents were happy that his name was not in the list. “Dira ko gid makita ang mga tawo kag banwa ko, concerned sila, indi sila magpati nga isa ako ka (drug) protector,” he said.
Centena said he does not have any vice. “I don’t smoke, I don’t drink alcoholic drinks.”
He said Gentiles advised him to wait for further instructions on the findings of the Interior department investigation.
Earlier Centena expressed confidence of being cleared. One of the proofs he presented to the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth showing no hidden or unexplained wealth.
Calinog was one of the 14 towns in the province that were declared “drug-cleared.”
Last week Centena said his administration offers programs for drug users and/or pushers who have surrendered.
They include free tuition and transportation allowance for surrenderees who want to go back to school, and livelihood — hog- and goat-raising — for households with drug surrenderees, said the mayor./PN
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