ILIGAN City ― Former city mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz, previously named among the country’s alleged “drug protectors,” revealed that a “good lawyer” had advised him to file cases against those responsible for the accusations.
However, Cruz ultimately decided not to pursue legal action, dismissing the claims as baseless.
The accusations date back to the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, during which Cruz, along with then-Congressman Vicente Belmonte Jr., were labeled as “drug protectors.”
Speaking on a local radio program he co-hosts, Cruz vehemently denied the allegations over the weekend, emphasizing their falsehood. The discussion arose in the context of extrajudicial killings, a topic tied to ongoing developments in the International Criminal Court concerning Duterte.
Cruz also highlighted the public’s curiosity as to why he and Belmonte were implicated while the city’s former police chief, Celso G. Regencia, was not.
Regencia, now a congressman, previously served as police chief in Ozamiz City, where he claimed to have been offered P1.5 million monthly by the city’s top official, an incident widely circulated during political rallies.
Regencia was later transferred to Cruz’s city and went on to serve three terms as mayor.
