Rody to Mabilog: Stop fooling me

MANILA, Philippines —  President Duterte has accused Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog of fooling him after the mayor offered a P1-million cash reward to the informant who helped police track down and neutralize suspected drug lord Richard Prevendido. 

Duterte sarcastically said that he admired Mabilog, who was accused of protecting drug lords, for offering the P1-million reward.

“Bumilib lang ako sa kanya, kasi matapang siya. Sabi niya, bigyan daw niya ng one million ‘yung taong makapagturo sa kanila ang mga drug people (I admire him because he is brave. He said he would give P1 million to those who can pinpoint drug people),” the President told reporters in Taguig City Tuesday night. 

“Bobolahin pa ako ng p***** i** niya. ‘Wag mo akong s****** ng ganun. Katagal ko na sa gobyerno na ito. Ililibing na nga ako eh (He even tried to fool me. Son of a b****. Do not trick me like that. I have been in government for so long. I am even about to be buried),” he added. 

Duterte said he curses at people who are trying to deceive him. 

“Kaya bastos ang bunganga ko eh, eh binabastos mo rin ako eh. Kakasabi ko lang sa kanila na huminto (My mouth is disrespectful because they disrespected me. I just told them to stop),” he added. 

Mabilog, one of the mayors in the list of politicians with supposed ties with drug rings, has ordered the release of P1-million reward money to the citizen whose information led to the killing of Prevendido, said to be the top drug lord in the city. 

Half of the amount will be shouldered by the city government while the other half will be provided by the provincial government.

After months of hunting, the police gunned down in an alleged shootout elusive local drug lord Prevendido alias Buang and his son Jason after law enforcers raided a house in Jaro, Iloilo City.

The suspects were killed after clashing with policemen about to serve an arrest warrant at a house in Phase 4, Landheights Subdivision in Barangay Balabago.

The two suspects were reportedly the only occupants of a two-story house at a secluded portion of the village.

Joint elements of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), Iloilo City police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, Jaro police station and the police Regional Intelligence Division (RID) raided the house at around 8:30 p.m. last Friday.

Iloilo City police director Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba said they received a breakthrough in their monitoring last Aug. 31.

He said an informant who belonged to Prevendido’s group told the police of the whereabouts of the drug lord.

With his tip leading to the neutralization of Prevendido, the P1.1-million reward will be given to the informant.        

Duterte has warned Mabilog to sever his ties with drug lords, saying he would not tolerate those who would destroy the next generation.

Mabilog has denied any involvement with narcotics and has promised to help authorities in the campaign against illegal drugs. 

The President also clarified that he did not assign controversial policeman Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido as police chief of Iloilo City. 

Espenido oversaw the raids that led to the death of Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo Parojinog last July. He was also the police chief of Albuera, Leyte when its mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. was nabbed and subsequently killed inside his jail cell.

Like Mabilog, Espinosa and Parojinog were in the list of politicians believed to have ties to drug lords.                  

Last month, Duterte said he was assigning Espenido to Iloilo, which he described as a major source of shabu. 

But Espenido’s appointment as police chief was cancelled because his rank was lower than the minimum requirement for the post.

“Look, I did not say that you should be there as a chief of police. I know he still does not have the rank,” Duterte said. 

“I just said, ‘You want to be assigned there?’ Maybe I said…police station commander,” he added. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has given the police more time to debunk the denial made by Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim on drug trading charges filed against him.

In preliminary investigation hearing yesterday, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) presented witness Marcelo Adorco to subscribe to his statement against Lim as part of their reply.

But CIDG lawyers were not ready with Adorco’s affidavit and asked that he be allowed to subscribe to the panel ahead of his sworn statement because he had to go to Leyte.

The investigating panel of prosecutors denied the request and required Adorco to return for subscription of his affidavit with the submission of the PNP reply in the next hearing on Sept. 12. – With Edu Punay