NAGUILIAN, La Union, Philippines – The mayor of this town who was included by President Duterte in the list of “narco politicians” tagged a former lawmaker as the main source of illegal drugs in the province.

Mayor Reynaldo Flores named former congressman Thomas Dumpit Jr. as the alleged mastermind of the shabu laboratory in Barangay Bimmotobot discovered by the police in July 2008.

Flores made the disclosure during a speech at the town hall yesterday, tagging Dumpit as the source of illegal drugs in the affidavit he submitted to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“I know a lot of information about the involvement of several personalities and Dumpit on the shabu lab because I was one of those who conducted the raid against the illegal facility. We are the ones who busted that and we know the story behind it. But I am the one suffering now. They (got back) at us because they lost billions of drug money,” Flores said.

Flores said he thanked Duterte for including him in the list as it would give him the opportunity to tell everything about the facility, including the mastermind.

“Because of the shabu laboratory, my name was put in a bad light. However, the President made me an instrument for the reopening of this case to find out the real mastermind... I am very positive that the truth will come out. The investigation being done now against me after I was named in the President’s list already reopened the case,” he said.

Flores said he has provided all the information he knows about the shabu laboratory in his affidavit submitted to the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame.

Aside from Dionicio Borromeo, the former police official who was convicted for protecting a shabu laboratory, Flores said there are bigger personalities behind the illegal drug operations.

“There is a bigger fish than Borromeo. Dumpit is our political enemy and he hates us so much because we withdrew our support from him,” Flores said.

Flores, together with Mayor Martin de Guzman of Bauang town, Mayor Dante Garcia of Tubao town and former congressman Eufranio Eriguel all denied their involvement in any illegal drug activities.

Flores claimed he and the three officials were immediately named by Dumpit in a privilege speech in Congress days after the police discovered the shabu laboratory in the effort to conceal his involvement.

“He dropped us just to cover his name. I am calling for the authorities and the President, who I believe is determined and sincere in fighting illegal drugs, to hear us out on this case. We are not given opportunity when Congress conducted an inquiry about this matter because the man behind it is one of their members,” he said.

Dumpit earlier denied during a television interview any involvement in the shabu laboratory in the town.

He said the establishment of a shabu laboratory could not be possible without the knowledge and blessing of local officials.

In a related development, Pangasinan Rep. Jesus Celeste announced he was found negative of substance abuse during a drug test.

Celeste said he immediately underwent drug tests after he was included by Duterte in the list of narco politicians.

Celeste said he would submit the results before the CIDG to add to his defense in denying any involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Celeste blamed his political enemies for involving him in drugs during his term as mayor of Bolinao. – With Eva Visperas