President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to meet with the mayors of the Visayas and Mindanao in Cebu City on Feb. 12.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government in Western Visayas (DILG-6), however, didn’t know why Mr. Duterte wanted to meet the local officials.
“All provincial governors and city and municipal mayors of the Visayas and Mindanao have been summoned to the meeting,” said Anthony Nuyda, DILG-6 director.
He said the DILG was tasked to ensure that the local chief executives would attend the meeting.
“The President will probably tackle priorities of his administration,” Nuyda said, but could not give specifics.
Regional DILG-7 Director Rene Burdeos confirmed that the President will be in Cebu City on Feb. 12.
“Maybe his crusade for good governance and fight against graft and corruption. Or maybe about operations against illegal drugs. We don’t have the exact and accurate idea (on what the President will discuss,” Burdeos said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., who confirmed his invitation to the meeting, said he did not know the agenda.
It was not known if the President would discuss the push towards a federal form of government and the rebooted Tokhang campaign against illegal drugs.
It was expected that he would also listen to the concerns of the chief executives of the Visayas and Mindanao.
Nuyda said local officials were not allowed to send their representatives to the meeting.
The general program outline includes a speech by the DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año and a message to be delivered by President Duterte.