Duterte: Assassinated Mayor Was Involved in Drugs

Controversial Philippine Mayor Antonio Halili was assassinated while attending a flag-raising ceremony, on Monday. Hours after the incident, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed Halili was involved in illegal drugs. "I suspect he was into drugs. I just suspect."

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Reports are that the Tanauan city official – who famously paraded suspected drug dealers through city streets in a campaign dubbed “walk of shame” – was shot in the chest during the event and later succumbed to his injury while en route to being treated. The suspects were forced to wear cardboard signs that read “I'm a pusher, don't emulate me.”

Duterte's remarks contradict that of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who said Halili was a supporter of the administration's campaign against illegal drugs. But the president said Halili was similar to now-deceased mayors Reynaldo Parojinog and Rolando Espinosa, who were both on Duterte's list of narco-politicians.

"Kanina si Halili sa Batangas. Kunwari ipa-procession ang mga addicts, siya pala, siya 'yun," Duterte said during an address at the anniversary of Maasin City. Translation: Earlier, Halili in Batangas. He pretended to shame addicts by parading them, but he was involved, it was him.

A video of the incident, showing Halili and civil servants outside the city hall singing the Philippine national anthem before the sound of a single gunshot rang through the crowd followed by screaming, has made the rounds on social media.

“We are shocked, we are saddened,” Vice Mayor Jhoanna Villamor, who was standing near Halili at the ceremony, told DZBB.

Philippine police chief Oscar Albayalde said no one approach the mayor. "They just heard a gunshot so the assumption or allegation was it could have been a sniper shot," Albayalde said in a news conference.

Officials disclosed that an investigation is currently underway. Halili identified as a supporter of Duterte's campaign to target drug kingpins. Since Duterte took office in 2016, more than 4,200 drug suspects had been killed in clashes with police.

"No one is safe – mayors, governors, congressmen – just a false intelligence report by the police can end up with any of them being destroyed," Halili said in a 2016 interview.

The mayor previously denied claims, leveled by police officials, that he was involved in illegal drug-related activities, stating that would he would resign and publicly parade as a drug suspect if evidence was presented.

According to TIME, Philippine police have killed at least three mayors with alleged links to illegal drugs.