ZAMBOANGA CITY – Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has echoed President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent call for voters to choose candidates in the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections who are not involved in the illegal drug trade.
Salazar issued the statement in the wake of a report that implicated one of this city’s barangay chairperson and a kagawad (councilor) in the so-called narco list released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“Do not vote for candidates who are involved in illegal drugs,” Salazar said.
But Salazar was quick to say that PDEA’s narco list must be reviewed and verified thoroughly.
She urged the people not to jump into conclusion as those in the list deserved due process.
The mayor said she immediately asked Dr. Elmeir Apolinario, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, to check the veracity of the report, and even asked the PDEA and Department of Interior and Local Government for guidance.
“We really tread on (the issue) very cautiously. We have to observe due process, while we also do not tolerate or condone illegal drug abuse, especially among barangay officials,” she said.
Salazar said earlier that she remains confident that the barangay and SK elections will be transparent and objective. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
