MANILA, Philippines -- The tough-talking mayor of Manila who earned the nickname "Dirty Harry" for his anti-crime crusades said Monday he won't lift a finger to help his son who was nabbed in a drug bust.

The rich and powerful in the Philippines usually help their own, even when they're behind bars. But Mayor Alfredo Lim said his 44-year-old son, Manny, should pay for his actions.

"Whatever trouble he got himself into, he has to bear it," Lim said during a flag-raising ceremony at Manila Police District headquarters.

Radio DZBB reported that Lim refused to visit his son in jail after he and two others were arrested in a hotel room Saturday, allegedly with 100 grams of methamphetamine worth about P600,000.

Manny Lim has not been formally charged yet. If convicted, he could face years in prison.

The Philippines is one of the major producers of methamphetamine, locally known as "shabu," with ingredients coming mostly from China and Taiwan, officials said. Drug laboratories and storage facilities are raided regularly and scores of suspects are arrested.

The 77-year-old Lim is a legendary anti-crime fighter, even though his methods have often seemed brutal.

Lim closed down Manila's red-light district years ago, using a hammer to personally board up prostitution dens. He once spray-painted dire warnings on the doors of suspected drug pushers' homes.

An anti-crime drive during his three-year stint as head of Manila's police force in the 1990s left a trail of corpses, some found floating in a river, but he denied violating human rights. Cases were filed against him and all were dismissed.

"The mayor's position was very clear that there would be no sacred cows. Unfortunately, even we were surprised when the mayor's son turned out to be one of the suspects," said Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency head Dionisio Santiago.