MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/24 January) — Vice Mayor Victor Aldeguer has denied his younger brother Emmanuel is an illegal drug user, saying the latter is an “athletic, religious family man.”
The younger Aldeguer, City Mayor Ignacio Zubiri’s executive assistant, is said to be one of eight city government employees who were caught on camera in an alleged shabu (metamphethamine hyrdrochloride) session during office hours.
The vice mayor told reporters Tuesday morning that their family was shocked that the name of his brother was included in the list of those who were in the alleged shabu session. He refused to issue further comments., although he called the experience a lesson for the city government.
MindaNews is yet to reach the seven other suspects for comments.
A PDEA official in Bukidnon told MindaNews they have in theor possession six video footages showing employees of Malaybalay City Hall using shabu during office hours,.
The PDEA official who asked not to be named for security reasons said they presented the evidence to City Mayor Ignacio W. Zubiri on January 16.
The videos showed eight persons in pot session, some of them in city government office uniform, he added.
PDEA Bukidnon refused to reveal the names of the suspects. But in a program on dxDB-Radyo Veritas this morning the host named the younger Aldeguer and another individual.
Zubiri meanwhile confirmed reports some city government employees under his office were found to have used illegal drugs.
In a two-paragraph statement dated January 23, the mayor said “I have called the attention of these employees and advised them to resign.”
The statement came 12 days after the employees stopped reporting to work.
Zubiri said in his statement that he is an anti-drug advocate who will not condone the use of illegal drugs by city government employees or by any private individual.
“The city government under my administration has been and will always be active in the fight against drug trafficking and the use of illegal drugs in the city,” he added. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)