Monday, October 16, 2006 Drug lord offered me P200M: Mayor
WHAT would you do if someone offers you P200 million? For Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, he considers the person who offered him the money "good as dead", especially because he was an illegal drug dealer.
In his weekly television program Sunday, Duterte admitted he was indeed offered P200 million by a drug dealer just so the drug dealer would be allowed to go free.
"All that he wanted was a cellular phone so he could call somebody and I will have P200 million. But I don't think there's a cellphone in hell," Duterte said.
Duterte did not reveal who was the drug lord who offered him the bribe. Unconfirmed reports reaching Sun.Star showed though that the said drug lord could be one of those who were killed during a raid at a shabu laboratory in Dumoy, Talomo district on December 31 last year.
"But during times when I don't have money in my pockets I have this desire to raise the drug lord from the dead to demand for the money," he said.
Duterte admitted that the problem on illegal drugs would remain for as long as there are people who succumb to the temptation of easy money offered by drugs.
He cited the case at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Manila where several kilos of shabu were stolen inside the PDEA office by members of the PDEA itself.
"Do not be so naive about these things," the mayor said addressing the Dabawenyos watching his program. There is big money involved in drugs and thus many are tempted to dabble in it, including police officials.
"If you have a weak stomach, leave PDEA. The corrupting influence of drugs can never be underestimated," he said. (BOT)
