Duterte sees slain Tanauan mayor’s shame campaign just a front

July 2, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday the shame campaign of slain Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili was just his front on his alleged involvement on illegal drugs.

In a speech in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Duterte mentioned Halili's death and wondered who could have killed him.

"Earlier Mayor Antonio Halili in Batangas, there's a pretension of serious problem on illegal drugs. There's a pretension of parading the addicts. It's him. He was killed earlier," he said in local dialect.

"I don't know who killed him. I said don't get involved in illegal drugs," Duterte added.

Duterte said Halili was a drug suspect.

He said he could know if a mayor is allegedly involved in illegal drugs if he is wearing huge pieces of jewelry, such as necklace and bracelet.

Without directly mentioning Halili, he said there was a mayor who has a gold necklace with a diamond crucifix as pendant.

"That's obscene. You have a crucifix with a diamond?," he said.

Halili was shot dead by an unidentified sniper during Monday's flag-raising ceremony in front of Tanauan City Hall.

The slain mayor was included in the government's narco-list and in November 2017, the National Police Commission stripped him power over the police forces in his city. Celerina Monte/DMS