Duterte warns poll candidates: Twist not my words

President Duterte on Thursday told politicians running in midterm elections in May not to misuse his public statements to gain advantage over their rivals.

Duterte said former Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella spliced a recording of his speech to picture incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia as engaged in illegal drug trade.

“I do not want something that is a fraud … I don’t want my name to be used for something [that] is not true,” the President said in a video post on Facebook.

His words were twisted

“I would like to tell the people of Bacolod, I did not mention any mayor there. But if you ask me, I don’t want a guy committing fraud out of something that I said,” he said.

The President criticized Puentevella for using his speech to malign Leonardia.

“My words were purposely and intentionally twisted. That’s not fair. My advice to Mayor Monico is not to do that,”  Duterte said.

“You used my name and you spliced my speeches, and even added something else to make it appear that Leonardia is into illegal drugs. That is wrong,” he said.

Duterte publicly named 46 of more than 80 politicians on his so-called narcolist last week.

In his video on Thursday, the President said he never mentioned Leonardia’s name when he identified the narcopoliticians.

“When I rattled off the names, I never mentioned the name of Mayor Leonardia. I just mentioned the names and I said, ‘You’re a mayor there, right?’ I was referring to a previous meeting,” he said.

Duterte said he summoned the mayors to Malacañang to warn them not to get involved in the illegal drug trade.

He said he was supporting Leonardia’s reelection bid, calling him “the better candidate.”