‘Duterte thinks 60% of mayors are womanizers’

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte thinks that about 60 percent of mayors in the country are womanizers, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday.

DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the President made the remark during his dialogue with Local Chief Executives (LCEs) at the Manila Hotel on Tuesday night.

President Duterte met with around 1,500 LCEs which included governors and city and municipal mayors from all over the country, in a gathering a day after he delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) where he reiterated his commitment to the fight against corruption and illegal drugs.

“The President was serious. He said 60 percent of mayors are womanizers,” Densing said, speaking in Filipino in an interview over dzMM.

Densing, who was present at the gathering, said Duterte believes this is one of the reasons why corruption in government remains rampant. “If a lot of them are womanizing, it seems they are now even more required to have money in their pockets,” he said.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora confirmed that Duterte made the statement but said the Chief Executive was only joking. “It was most likely a joke,” he said in a phone interview.

Densing said Duterte expressed his frustration over the rampant corruption in government despite his aggressive campaign. “He wants to resign because he can’t seem to keep up with the never-ending corruption,” he said in Filipino.

During the meeting, the President congratulated the LCEs who were given new mandates by their constituents, but also warned them not to get involved in the illegal drug trade or there would be grave consequences.

Island Garden City of Samal Mayor David Uy told The STAR that the President admonished them not to get involved in the illegal drug trade. “He really pointed to us that he will never tolerate any of us getting into illegal drugs,” he said.

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said she strongly supports the President’s campaign in ridding the country of illegal drugs amidst criticisms from some international countries concerned over human rights abuses.

Duterte also repeated the directives from his SONA for local officials to speed up government transactions and reclaim roads used for private purposes to ease traffic congestion.

Zamora said they have been implementing measures to comply with Duterte’s directives. This includes clearing roads of obstructions to ease traffic especially in Greenhills, San Juan’s commercial district. – With Edith Regalado, Roel Pareño, Christina Mendez

Source: https://www.philstar.com/