4,000 in ‘drug-free’ Romblon join PDP-Laban

SAN PEDRO CITY — Majority of the elected officials in Romblon province jumped ship to the administration’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the latest to join the bandwagon in “support” of President Duterte’s programs, particularly his anti-narcotics campaign.

Led by the province’s lone district representative Emmanuel Madrona, about 4,000 officials took their oath on Thursday before House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Also present was house appropriations committee chair Karlo Alexei Nograles.

Among the local officials who took their oath was Romblon Vice Governor Jose Riano.

Romblon governor Eduardo Firmalo and daughter and Odiongan mayor Trina Fabic, however, stayed with the Liberal Party.

‘Drug free’

“Romblomanons are just very much happy about the President’s programs,” Madrona said in a phone interview.

In fact, he said, the oath-taking came just three days after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency declared Romblon a “drug-free” province.

READ: Romblon declared 2nd drug-free province in PH

Romblon, after Batanes, was the second province “cleared” of illegal drugs, according to a separate statement from the Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan regional police.

The police said 35 anti-drug operations were carried out in Romblon since the launch of the anti-drug campaign, leading to the arrest of 47 suspects of which 13 were tagged as “high value targets.” /je