COTABATO CITY -- Two local officials from Maguindanao province who were named by President Rodrigo Duterte as narco-politicians have strongly denied involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Mayor Vicman Montawal and Vice Mayor Ohto Montawal of Datu Montawal municipality, Maguindanao said they were no longer surprised that their names were on the President’s so-called narco-list.
“It is clearly politically motivated,” Mayor Montawal said.
His father, Ohto, the vice mayor, was also named by the President in August 2016 as a narco-politician but the latter was not charged.
“Publicity, trial by publicity, political persecution, this is how I describe all these things,” the elder Montawal said in Filipino.
The son-father mayor and vice mayor tandem of the Muslim-dominated Datu Montawal town spoke to different radio stations here and in North Cotabato to deny that they were drug lords or politicians making a living with illegal drugs.
In January, police raided the compound of the Montawals looking for guns and illegal drugs.
The joint police-military raiding team found no illegal drug but killed two of the Montawals' security escorts when they traded shots with authorities. (PNA)
Montawals cry political persecution over narco-list
By Edwin Fernandez
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