Lacson: At least 5 mayors outside NCR involved in illegal drugs

ADS Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday said he knows at least five mayors who were involved in illegal drugs, and expressed willingness to give their names to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Alam ko din yung mayors na suspected to be either drug lords themselves or protectors ng drug lords, I’m willing to submit it to the President kung wala pa sa listahan niya,” Lacson said in a news forum in Manila.

“‘Yung narinig ko not more than five mayors,” he added.

Duterte had earlier said he has a list of local government officials who are protectors of drug lords. He said he could not reveal their names on advice of intelligence authorities.

Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said he received information from former subordinates who lamented about their failure to launch anti-illegal drug operations in their areas because of the intervention of the local  executives.

“Ito yung nasagap ko lang sa former subordinate officers na nagre-report. Reliable kasi nasa ground sila. Ito yung mga frustration na sini-share nila na hindi sila makagalaw dahil yung mayor o kung sinong local officials involved,” he said.

“Nanghihingi rin sila ng guidance kung anong gagawin kasi either yung mayor involved alam nila or pag pinagpapaalam nila yung operation palaging negative,” he added.

Lacson said the information were given to him when he was campaigning for the Senate post in the May 9 elections.

“May mga nabanggit na in five areas na napuntahan ko meron kaming na-gather na ganung information,” he added.

The senator, however, refused to name the mayors but said some of them are incumbent and all of them are outside Metro Manila.

He said he believes the five are among the local officials on Duterte's list. If not, he said he is willing to give the President their names.

Lacson said he also received information that some of the mayors are already mulling "coming out in the open."

“Yung ibang mayors na alam ko they are already thinking of coming out in the open tapos i-present yung sarili nila sa DILG (Department of Local Government). Yung iba narinig ko na ganun ang iniisip nilang gawin. May nagsabi na nagpaplanong pumuntang DILG to present themselves, not necessarily to deny,” he said.

Source: [GMA]

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