Mayor protests Iloilo Police's 'criminal sanctuary' tag of his town

ILOILO CITY , Philippines  -- Mayor Neptali Salcedo Sr. of Sara town in Iloilo denied allegation that his town is a criminal sanctuary where criminals and illegal drugs pushers from other towns in the province and neighboring Capiz province have been hiding.

Salcedo reacted to the statement released by Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, director of the Iloilo Provincial Police Office that Sara has been a sanctuary of fleeing criminals from other places.

Salinas backed his statement by deploying 30 policemen from the Iloilo Provincial Public Safety Company augment the Sara Police Station force.

The mayor in turn thanked Salinas for the additional police force but he wanted to clear out that his town is not what the police provincial director described it.

Salcedo and Salinas met at the Capitol with Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. to clear and stop the issue.

An amicable agreement was then reached, of which Salcedo promised to cooperate with the police in maintaining peace and order in Sara. Salinas, for his part, thanked the mayor and vowed to solve criminality and illegal drugs in the area.  (FREEMAN)