Actor-turned-politician Richard Gomez aired his opinions about the recent spate of killings of local officials in the Philippines.
In an interview with PEP.ph, Gomez, mayor of Ormoc City in Leyte, said that officials like him need to be careful but they have to do their duties above all things.
“Kailangan talaga ingat parati. And more than that, as a mayor, kailangan labanan mo talaga ang drugs, e. Katulad ko as mayor, I always say this: in 2010 hanggang sa nung tumakbo ako, Ormoc talaga was considered to be the drug capital of Eastern Visayas,” he said.
“During nagkakampanya kami, yun ang kalaban namin sa narco-politics in our place, grabe yung drugs sa aming lugar,” he added.
According to recent news, several local officials were gunned down, including Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili; General Tinio Mayor Ferdinand Bote; and Trese Martires Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan.
Gomez said he is proud that drug-related cases in his city greatly decreased when he was elected mayor.
“I’m most proud to say, when I became mayor, yun agad ang trinabaho namin, and after 14 months, Ormoc City became drug-free… After less than a year, Ormoc became the safest city in our country, and in 2018, we were declared by the PNP as the safest city in our country… Ang sa amin, to sustain and maintain yung peace situation namin,” he said.
When asked if he is planning to run for a national position in the coming 2019 elections, he said, “Hindi, sabi ko sa kanila, marami pa akong dapat ayusin sa Ormoc City, so I’ll stay in Ormoc City. Kailangan ma-sustain yung programa namin sa Ormoc.”
