'Duterte of Batangas' willing to do 'walk of shame' if...

BATANGAS - Embattled Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili challenged his accusers to show evidence that would link him to the illegal drug trade, saying he is willing to do the "walk of shame" if he is proven guilty.

“Magre-resign ako, ako'y i-marcha ninyo, iparada ninyo ako sa buong bayan na may pasang krus kung gusto ninyo, lahat pwede n’yong gawin kapag may naiprisinta kayong ebidensya na ako'y involved sa drugs," he said.

Halili made headlines when he paraded suspected drug criminals in public. He, however, now finds himself in trouble after he was included on the list of high-value drug targets of the police and subjected to “Oplan Tokhang."

• READ: 'Duterte ng Batangas,' tinarget ng Tokhang

"I refused to sign because it’s really outrageous, unfair, irresponsible and self-incriminatory. Why am I included on the list of Oplan Tokhang when I am leading the campaign against drugs?" Halili said.

Halili denied Batangas Police Director Senior Superintendent Leopoldo Cabanag’s allegation that he is “possibly involved” in the illegal drug trade.

"I believe that it is totally irresponsible and absurd for the highest police official in the province to make pronouncements and take actions based solely on raw and un-validated ‘intelligence reports,’” he said.

Halili slammed Cabanag for tagging him as a possible drug pusher, but later on admitting that the intelligence information he had on the mayor still needs to be reviewed.

“What kind of intelligence does he have premising his actions on the account of raw information of my ‘possible involvement’ in the trade? I am of the belief that it was done arbitrarily and maliciously," he said.

Meanwhile, Halili turned over the control and management of the Mayor's Anti-Crime Group (MAC-G) to the Philippine National Police.

MAC-G is a group of men from the Tanauan Civil Security Unit formed by Halili to be anti-drugs and anti-criminality enforcers in Tanauan City.

Halili slammed his accusers who claimed that he uses the MAC-G, headed by Allan Fajardo, as his private armed group that deals with drugs.

Halili and Fajardo denied the allegations hurled against them by a certain retired police official.

“Baka naman na-iinsulto ang mga kapulisan sa accomplishment ng MAC-G, hindi ba nila alam ang Citizen’s Arrest? Nasa Sections 5 and 9 of Rule 113 iyon ng ating Saligang Batas,” Halili said.