ILOILO CITY – President Duterte has sternly warned death will also come to the one who replaced Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr., the slain drug lord of Western Visayas region.
“Sinong naghahawak dito? Bakit maraming ugok dito noon? Odicta. Sinong nagpalit? Huwag ko munang sabihin, patayin rin ‘yan. Ah, sigurado,” Duterte said at a recent campaign rally in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
Odicta and his wife Merriam, who hailed from Iloilo City, were killed by unknown gunmen late in August 2016.
At that time, both Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP) identified Odicta as one of the two drug lords in Western Visayas. The other drug lord was Richard “Buang” Prevendido, who was killed by police operatives after resisting arrest last September 2017.
In his speech, Duterte once again mentioned former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog as one of the politicians allegedly protecting the illegal drug trade.
Duterte even previously wrongly claimed that Mabilog is a relative of Odicta while also alluding that Mabilog’s wealth came from the illegal drug trade.
Duterte also took a swipe at slain former mayors Rolando Espinosa of Albuera town, Leyte and Reynaldo Parojinog of Ozamiz City. (Tara Yap)
