President Duterte is seeking a crucial partnership with local government executives on efforts to combat drugs and criminality and hasten reforms in the country.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar stressed the need for cooperation a day after Duterte held a “heart-to-heart” meeting with the country’s mayors in Malacañang last Wednesday.
“First of all, it was a closed door meeting. The President wanted to have private time with the local executives for a heart-to-heart talk,” Andanar said in Filipino during a radio interview.
“Addressing the problems in society, the problem of drugs, the problem of terrorism are not just the job of the police, military, and the President. To hasten the solution of these problems, we also need the help of local government executives, the mayors,” he said.
Andanar acknowledged that the local officials, especially the mayors, are considered the “presidents” in their areas of jurisdiction “so we must work together.”
“It is important for the executive and the local government units to be partners to hasten the implementation of reforms that we want for the country,” he said, citing that the public has already been cooperative with the Duterte administration since Day 1.
The President had announced his intention to summon the country’s mayors to confront some of them about their involvement in illegal drugs. He warned the mayors to come clean, resign, or face possible death.
(Genalyn D. Kabiling)
