Elbi cries for justice as Mayor Perez laid to rest

Perez still in narcolist says PDEA, after Duterte washes his hands off the inclusion

BY JOAQUIN GONZALEZ IV AND IAN RAPHAEL LOPEZ

UPLB Perspective Staff Writers

As Los Baños calls for justice over the death of their beloved mayor, Mayor Caesar Perez would not be removed yet in the controversial narcolist, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

At the time of his death, the PDEA Regional Adjudication Committee for Calabarzon was sitll deliberating whether to recommend the removal of Mayor Perez from the list.

“A drug test is only one part of the process. A person may test negative to drug use, but [that does not mean he is not] a protector or financier which is a different case,” Jigger Montallana, PDEA director for Calabarzon, told reporters on Thursday, December 10.

Perez was shot dead inside the Los Baños municipal hall on Thursday night, December 3. An initial report from the Laguna Provincial Police Office said that Perez was walking toward the receiving area of the municipal hall at around 8:45 p.m. when currently unidentified perpetrators shot him twice at the back of the head.

Perez was immediately rushed to the hospital but was declared dead at around 9:45pm after 30 minutes of reviving him failed.

Prior to his death, Perez had been receiving death threats since his inclusion in the “narco-list” – the government's list of politicians with supposed links to the illegal drug trade. Perez and his family have denied his alleged involvement with illegal drugs.

“Bakit ano ba’ng pruweba? Dahil wala naman kaming tinatago so di kami nagisip na may mangyayari,” his son, Aldous said last Sunday. These allegations surfaced while he was running once more for mayor last May, claiming that a political rival from 2007 was behind his inclusion in the list.

He was reported to have submitted a position paper to both Malacañang and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in an attempt to set the record straight. Three years prior, Perez’s younger brother, Ruel was also shot dead by unknown motorcycle-riding perpetrators.

President Duterte, in his weekly message to the nation last Monday, December 7, offered his condolences to Perez’s family but not without washing his hands off the narcolist.

“First of all, I’m sorry that your father died in the way it happened. Pero kung sabihin mong, ‘yang listahan na ‘yan, hindi akin ‘yan,” Duterte told Cabinet officials.

“I’m sorry if your father was there, but really, most of those were really into drugs. Your father might be an exception. If you believe firmly that he was not guilty or liable of anything, then that’s good,” said the President. Critics hit Duterte, who read aloud the narcolist last March 2019, and the culture of impunity under his administration.

Following the news of his death, residents were quick to pay tribute to their beloved mayor. Among them was Los Baños resident Angielyn Arlegui, who expressed her sorrow and condolences on the passing of Perez in a Facebook post.

“Makikita mo ang kanyang pananamit na parang ordinaryong tao lng, ikaw din ung mayor na nakita ko nag tatraffic enforcer sa gitna ng kalsada k[a]h[i]t na napakainit…”

Perez was elected mayor of Los Baños from 2001 to 2010, served as Laguna vice governor from 2010 to 2013 and was re-elected mayor three more times in 2014, 2016, and 2019.

As mayor, Perez advocated against pollution in the Special Science and Nature City. In 2008, Los Baños would be the first-ever town in the Philippines to regulate and ban the use of single-use plastic bags and styrofoam. He was also behind the famous Bañamos Festival.

Testifying to Perez’s positive reputation was Jay Rolusta, another Los Baños resident, who condemned the murder of Perez in his Facebook post. “Gumawa ka ng kasaysayan bilang pinakamatayog na puno sa Los Baños.

Ang iyong mga bunga ay pinakinabangan ng maraming tao.” Rolusta only had one word to describe the perpetrators.“Traydor. Traydor, hindi lamang ang nagbuwal sa’yo habang ikaw ay nakatalikod, kundi mas traydor ang mga utak sa likod nito,” Rolusta added.

Utter disregard for judicial process

In a statement, the University of the Philippines Los Baños said that the killing is “an affront to our dearly held respect for human rights” and called on the authorities to investigate the murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.

UPLB added that he was a “staunch ally of the university” and helped in implementing certain projects and activities for the campus.

In an interview with Perspective Live last Saturday Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs For. Roberto Cereno echoed the UPLB community’s call for justice, citing how the campus was made crime-free under Perez.

When asked whether campus security would be tightened due to the assassination, Cereno said he saw no reason to do so, exhorting the stakeholders to take precautions for their safety. Meanwhile, Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, who also visited Perez’s wake, expressed his condolences and condemned the murder in a Facebook post.

The Facebook page of the municipal government of Los Baños changed its profile picture to all black and expressed its condolences to the Perez family in a post.

On the day of Perez’s death, the municipality swore in Antonio Kalaw and Josephine Evangelista to fill the respective roles of mayor and vice mayor.

As of press time, no new details have surfaced on the progress of the investigation.

Laguna province information officer Christopher Sanji, in an interview with Perspective Live, said that the province has already coordinated with the police for the investigation.

Balikan ang special coverage sa pagkamatay ni Mayor Perez: https://bit.ly/MayorPerez