LP says DILG award to Davao City did not cover peace and order

The Liberal Party on Thursday hit back at Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is again in the middle of a word war with administration standard bearer Mar Roxas regarding the supposed proliferation of illegal drugs in Davao City.

In a statement, Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez, the LP spokesperson, explained that the award given to Davao City by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) under Roxas did not cover peace and order.

He said the award was based on several criteria, like disaster preparedness and financial housekeeping, adding Davao City "did not fulfill the required criteria for peace and order."

"This is clear from DILG records. It is sad, in fact pitiful, but completely unsurprising, that Mayor Duterte does not even understand the basis for an award he received," Gutierrez said. 

The word war between Roxas and Duterte, both running for president in the May elections, escalated after the administration bet alleged that there were still places in Davao City where one could buy illegal drugs.

Roxas said he had written Duterte a letter informing him that 72 out of the 180 barangays in Davao City are "heavily drug-infested" based on data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Duterte, in response, noted that the Philippine National Police is under the control of the DILG. He also pointed out that the city received a Seal of Good Local Governance in 2015 from the DILG, which was then under Roxas.

Gutierrez, however, said the drug situation in Davao City "is not a matter of ‘belief’ -- it is borne out by official reports by the PDEA." —Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/KBK, GMA News