Bullet holes are seen on the vehicle of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote who was gunned down in Cabanatuan City July 3, 2018. Contributed photo

MANILA- Not all mayors killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte have ties to the illegal drug trade, a government official said Wednesday.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Martin Diño clarified that only a few slain officials are believed to be involved in illegal drugs.

These were Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., Tanuan City Mayor Antonio Halili, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom, and Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog.

Diño cited as an example the case of General Tinio Mayor Ferdinand Bote, saying the late official was not part of the "narco list" and was supposedly killed for other reasons.

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“Si Mayor Bote mabait naman na tao, hindi siya kasama sa drug list,” he said. “Meron lumalabas na dahil sa quarry, meron din dahil sa election."

(Mayor Bote is a kind person. He is not a part of the drug list. Some angles show that it's because of quarry, others due to the election.)

Bote was the 10th local executive to be killed since October 2016. He was shot dead a day after Halili's murder.

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Other slain officials are Pantar Mayor Mohammad Exchan Limbona, Marcos Mayor Arsenio Agustin, Bien Unido Mayor Gisela Bendong-Boniel, Balete Mayor Leovino Hidalgo, and Buenavista Mayor Ronald Lowell Tirol.

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“Everyday is alarming to us, most especially when it comes to security,” Diño said.

Diño added that over 100 mayors and over 200 village chiefs are included in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency's (PDEA) verified drug list.

The DILG is also asking the public to remain vigilant amid killings of government officials.

“Humihingi kami ng tulong sa mamamayan. Huwag niyo na hintayin na kamag-anak niyo pa ang maging biktima,” he said.

(We are asking the public to help. Don't wait for your relatives to become the next victims.)

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