186 local government officials stripped of powers over police

July 13, 2018

A total of 186 local government officials with suspected links to illegal drugs and other offenses were stripped of their powers over the police since President Rodrigo Duterte took office, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Friday.

DILG officer in charge Eduardo Ano said among reasons the local officials' powers over the police were removed were alleged involvement in illegal drug trade, failure to stop acts of terrorism and support of terrorist groups.

He said eight officials are governors while the rest are city or  town mayors. Ano did not disclose how many are reportedly involved in illegal drugs. Their names were not revealed.

“By offering the public mechanisms to report complaints, such as the Hotline 8888 and the Office of the President itself, we were able to investigate and file cases against local officials alleged to be abusive or not performing their job in accordance with their mandate,” said Ano in a statement.

156 other local officials were suspended and dismissed for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, neglect of duty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, abuse of authority and other activities.

“In Boracay case alone, 17 local officials were charged with administrative and/or criminal cases by the DILG based on the findings of the investigating team,”  he said. DMS