Duterte is misinformed, says daughter of slain Mayor Halili

BATANGAS, Philippines – President Duterte is misinformed.

This was the statement of the daughter of slain Tanauan mayor Antonio Halili on Tuesday, July 3, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments on Monday night linking her father to the illegal drug trade.

“I can’t blame the president. Like I told everyone else, and it’s just my personal opinion, if that’s always what you hear from the same people that you talk to—and they keep telling you the same thing—it gets in your system to the point that you believe it even though it’s a lie,” said Angeline Halili. 

(READ: ‘Duterte of Batangas’? Slain Tanauan mayor Antonio Halili and his ‘iron fist’)

In a speech in Maasin City, Southern Leyte on Monday, Duterte  claimed the slain mayor got what he deserved because of his involvement with drugs.

“Kanina si Halili sa Batangas. Kunwari ipa-procession ang mga addicts, siya pala, siya ‘yun,” said Duterte. “I suspect he was into drugs. I just suspect,” the President added in Cebuano.

(Earlier, Halili in Batangas. He pretended to shame addicts by parading them, but he was involved, it was him.)

For Angeline, there was no reason to blame the President because he was merely fed wrong information.

“I cant blame him for that, he’s so misinformed. I believe that if he would even try to grieve with me and our family, with us, he would see, and realize and see for himself that we have a decent, legal—very, very legal—and simple life. We’re just a family of entrepreneurs.”

The slain mayor is the lone politician in his family. Since his first term as mayor of Tanauan in 2013, he already launched a campaign to rid his city of illegal drugs through unconventional methods. These includied the controversial “walk of shame” of drug suspects.

(READ:  Mayor Halili spoke of ‘imminent threat’ to life)

In 2017, his name was among the list of public officials suspected with ties to the drug trade. Halili consistently denied this.

Halili’s family business are emission testing centers (with branches nationwide), drug-testing centers, and a realty development corporation among others. – Rappler.com