Duterte reminds municipal mayors to enforce law and order

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday, June 28, warned that if mayors fail to enforce “law and order” in their respective municipalities, they will be stripped of their powers over the local police.
“If mayor[s] cannot enforce law and order in their municipalities, I will withdraw [their] deputization. Tatanggalin ko ang (I will remove their) power(s) nila over the police,” Mr. Duterte said in a media interview in Panglao, Bohol on Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Duterte was in Bohol to attend the 25th Annual National Convention of the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines.
Also during the interview, Mr. Duterte said that he is “not satisfied by the way” some mayors “have responded to the problems” in their municipalities.
The President said he has observed that there is a rising number of mayors “throughout the Philippines who do not want to do their duties.”
“Nonchalant attitude. Aba hindi pwede ‘yang ganun (That is not allowed). If that is the way how you behave as a mayor, you better go out,” he added.
In his speech in Zamboanga del Sur on June 26, Mr. Duterte reiterated that mayors should also enforce the law as what he does in the national government.
“Whatever I have to enforce, you need to enforce it as well…If you are the municipal mayor, you are the president of your municipality. That’s why we don’t meddle in your affairs. We only supervise,” he explained.
He added: “There is always the illegal logging, there is always the illegal drugs, [and] the high rate of crime in your municipalities. What are you doing?”
In his speech on Thursday, Mr. Duterte reminded the local officials that they “play a pivotal role in the administration’s thrust to rid the society of the ills that have made [the Filipino] people suffer and have long impeded [the] country’s development.”
“As part of the LGUs (local government units), you are one of our front-liners in bringing the government closer to the people. May you continue to be a partner in helping us attain peace, progress and prosperity for our communities and our country,” the President also said.