CARIGARA, Leyte- If you have done nothing wrong, there is nothing to fear.
This was the reaction of Mayor Eduardo “Boy” Ong of this town as President Rodrigo Duterte has named several elective officials, among others, as either directly involved or serves as protectors to those in the illegal drug trade.
Ong, who has just won his second term as mayor of this town, said that he fully support the campaign of Pres. Duterte to end the proliferation of the illegal drug activity in the country.
“If you have done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear but if you have made a mistake, admit it,” he said.
The name and shame campaign of the President, however, is being criticized by some groups.
In the region, among those mentioned by the President who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade were Laoang Mayor Hector Ong and his wife, Madeleine, herself a former mayor and governor of Northern Samar and the late judge Roberto Navidad of Calbayog City.
Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and his son, Kerwin, were tagged by the President as the top drug lords in the region.
The President has ordered the immediate revocation of police supervision from the mayors and licenses of policemen were cancelled tagged as such.
According to Mayor Ong, the surveillance made by the government itself does not threaten privacy unless they uncover illegal activities.
Mayor Ong said that they are intensifying their campaign against illegal drugs and those behind it.
“We will pay extra attention to drug suspects who have arrest warrants issued against them,” he said.
Since the local police in coordination conducted “Oplan Tokhang” in Carigara, about 350 drug users voluntarily surrendered.
“The situation is very good now though we must maintain a high level of awareness in our crackdown on (illegal) drugs,” Ong said.
(JAZMIN BONIFACIO)
