2 Iloilo ‘narco’ mayors lose polls

?ILOILO CITY , Philippines  —  Two mayors who were labeled as illegal drug protectors by President Duterte failed in their election bid.

Alex Centena of Calinog town and Mariano Malones of Maasin, Iloilo lost in their respective bids in last Monday’s elections.

Malones, who is on his last term as mayor, lost his bid as vice mayor of the town. His daughter, Sweet Malones, ran for mayor but also lost.

Most voters, however, said they were tired of electing the same officials who had been in office for more than a decade, rather than their being in any narco list.

It was not the same in Laguna, where two mayors tagged in the narco list were among 25 local executives who won in the midterm elections.

Amben Amante of San Pablo City and Cesar Perez of Los Baños City clobbered their respective rivals to retain their mayoral posts.

Amante, Perez and incumbent Bay town Mayor Bruno Ramos were among the local politicians mentioned by Duterte in the narco list.

Ramos opted not to seek his third and final term. Jose Padrid, who won by a landslide, will be the next mayor.

Elsewhere, the Commission on Elections proclaimed Dandex Agatep as the new mayor of Lasam, Cagayan Valley, beating Juddy Salazar, husband of mayor-turned councilor-elect Marjorie Salazar by some 5,000 votes.

The new mayor is the nephew of former mayor Orlino Agatep, who was charged for the P3.5-billion shabu laboratory uncovered in Barangay Nicolas Agatep, Lasam in 2015.

The younger Agatep, on the other hand, was not named in the narco list but Marjorie, the former mayor turned councilor, was included in the list.

Authorities said a total of 25 local officials allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade won in last Monday’s elections.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino confirmed 25 of the 46 narco-listed politicians secured victory despite their involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Aquino said a majority of the local officials in the narco list who won are mayors, while 11 officials lost in the polls and another 10 did not run for office. 

A total of 46 local executives, lawmakers and a former mayor were in the narco list disclosed by Duterte last March. 

Malacañang said the President’s release of the narco list did not stop some politicians tagged in illegal drugs trade from winning in the local polls. 

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said some people who received assistance from politicians in the narco list may have voted “out of necessity.”  – With Non Alquitran, Raymund Catindig