Duterte camp hits Roxas on drugs in Davao

The camp of Davao City Mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Mar Roxas for his comment about where to find illegal drugs in Davao City, calling him “pathetic” and an “accomplice in protecting drug lords and drug pushers.”

“Mar is showing he is not fit to be the leader of our country,” Peter Laviña, spokesperson for Duterte, said in a statement Tuesday.

Roxas deserves to “go to jail, not to Malacañang,” he added.

“He did not only exhibit irresponsible citizenship by not reporting to authorities where drugs are being peddled, he has, in fact, become an accomplice in protecting drug lords and drug pushers,” Laviña, who heads Duterte’s media team, added.

Interviewed after the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday, Roxas criticized Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. “May droga sa Davao ngayon (Illegal drugs still flourish in Davao up to now),” Roxas said. “Ngayon lang, gusto mo samahan kita e, makakabili tayo ng droga sa Davao e. (I can even lead you to where we can buy illegal drugs in Davao).”

Roxas’ comment immediately became the subject of memes, doing the rounds on social media.

Davao police successful

Previously, he told the media that Davao City ranked fourth among cities with the highest crime rate in the country.

But the Davao City police claimed its record had showed a high volume of crime incidents because the local police were successful in doing its job.

Laviña said if Roxas’ claims are true, he should not strip himself of the responsibility to curb illegal drugs or stop criminality as the former secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“What has he done as secretary of DILG and as chair of the National Police Commission to fight drug abuse?” Laviña asked, pointing out that as secretary of DILG, he had administrative power over the police.