President Duterte to Luzon Mayors: Serve with Integrity, Honesty, and Accountability

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Monday, October 22, urged local chief executives to continue to fulfill their mandate to the public with “integrity, honesty, and accountability.”

The Chief Executive made his pronouncement during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Luzon Island Cluster Conference at the SMX Convention Center here.

“As a former mayor myself, I understand the difficulties you are facing as you fulfill your mandate. That is why I am striving to provide our local governments the capability to address these difficulties through reforms and harness the potential of local businesses and promote good governance, especially at the local level,” said President Duterte in his speech.

The President emphasized his administration’s fight against corruption, noting that in this matter, he has no room for “compromise.”

“Ginagawa ko talaga lahat. I am firing people right and left,” he stressed.

In the same way, President Duterte expressed his unwavering commitment in the country’s war against illegal drugs, stating the dire consequences of substance abuse on the lives of Filipinos such as poverty and crime, among others.

He then warned the city mayors to avoid being personally involved in the illegal drug trade.

“Do not mess up with drugs… and that goes for everybody… even mayors, even city mayors,” he said.

“It is high treason if you do that to your country. So, iwasan ninyo ‘yan. I’m not saying that it’s all about money, but you can have comfortable lives if you are a mayor. Just avoid drugs,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the upcoming midterm elections, he cited potential perils that elected officials might face in fulfilling their duties.

The President, therefore, assured the city mayors of full protection.

“If you want security, bigyan ko kayo. You are limited to two naka uniporme,” he said, adding that he would deploy soldiers in critical areas where they intend to campaign.

This year, 327 local chief executives attended the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Luzon Island Cluster Conference, with the theme “Kaunlaran ng bansa, sa bayan nagmumula.” (PND)