“I would want to face those who accuse me in open investigations as their allegations are without basis and could be product of dirty politicking,” said Pamintuan who is president of the League of City Mayors of the Philippines and chair of Central Luzon’s Regional Development Council (RDC).
Pamintuan was among the 23 mayors linked to illegal drugs in the most recent list released by the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
In a statement, Pamintuan noted that “the RPOC is the mechanism that is supposed to validate, investigate and adjudicate to either affirm or clear local of- ficials accused to be involved in drugs.”
Pamintuan noted, however, that “there has been no validation and investigation yet before the list that included me was released.”
The RPOC in Central Luzon, chaired by Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia, is set to meet anytime this week.
“My suspicion is that the raw information against me is tainted as the same unfounded charges were being hurled against me before by my political opponents,” Pamintuan said.
He recalled that he was the first local official in the country to create in 1996 an anti-drugs unit called the Angeles City Anti-Drugs Task Force, which was replicated by other local governments.
He also said that his inclusion in the list was “ironic as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has awarded Angeles City four out of six citations from 2012 to 2016 for its anti-drugs eff orts and programs.”
