ASINGAN—The town’s mayor vehemently denies drug links even as she appeals to people to stop spreading rumors that the hometown of former President Fidel Ramos is chaotic and drug-infested.

CHUA

Mayor Heidee Chua told local newsmen Tuesday in a press conference that there are people who have connections with influential officials in the country suspected to be the source of such malicious reports.

She said rumors claimed she was arrested because of drugs or she was killed because of it, among others. She added that she is being accused of maintaining a drug laboratory but she said it is only a poultry farm owned by her dad in Barangay Sobol here with low fence.

“It is a contract-growing with San Miguel Corporation,” she pointed out.

Others reported presence of Koreans and Chinese in the alleged poultry farm-drug laboratory, to which Mayor Chua said, “They are only chickens with only three Filipino caretakers”.

Ms. Chua said she is hurt by the rumors. “This is not the real image of our town but some people are weaving lies just to pin me down.” She said she thought elections were over and candidates who lost should have stopped in their black propaganda.

She said the wild talks persisted until a week before President Duterte made the announcement involving narco-politicians and other very important persons.

Ms. Chua, however, was not included in Duterte’s initial list of narco-politicians.

“If to a meat, I have been chopped many times because of the rumors,” she said.

“They are saying the opposite because truth is, we are the most peaceful,” said Vice Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr. Lopez who was joined by town councilors, barangay officials and religious sector representatives to show support behind Chua during the press conference.

The mayor and the town’s municipal employees, council members took drug tests last week and results showed no one was positive of drug use.

The town police have the highest arrests on drugs in the sixth district of Pangasinan, and every September 1, the town holds a noise barrage against illegal drugs, Ms. Chua added.

The mayor said she was surprised when almost the entire policemen in the town, except for two cops, were relieved from their posts on Aug. 4 by lawmen trained for combat operations in insurgency and terror threats, not the normal police community work.

The new policemen assigned here are the ones who can say that the town is very peaceful and they are in fact getting bored, she said.

She added that more than 346 self-confessed drug users/pushers in the ton have already surrendered since July 1.

She said she has not talked yet to FVR but was able to get in touch with another townmate, retired general Hermogenes Esperon, now the National Security Adviser, who expressed support for her. (Tita Roces)

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