Urdaneta mayor denies ordering Muslim residents’ eviction from city

The mayor of Urdaneta City in Pangasinan province on Wednesday denied ordering the eviction of Muslim residents out from the city.

"Hindi po totoo 'yun. Wala akong binabanggit na ganun," City Mayor Amadeo Gregorio Perez told radio dzBB in an interview, referring to a news item published on The Manila Times.

The mayor also denied having been interviewed regarding the supposed directive.

Urdaneta Mayor Perez kaugnay sa mga muslim na sangkot sa iligal na droga: pinublish nila (sa dyaryo) pero hindi naman ako ininterview.

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) August 10, 2016

The report said Perez announced that he has ordered Muslim out of Urdaneta City during a flag-raising ceremony last Monday morning.

It said that the mayor issued the order as part of his intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

The report said that as confirmed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, more than 80 percent of the 5,000 Muslim population in the city are peddling drugs. It also said that the age of Muslims peddling drugs start at 12.

The report also quoted the mayor as saying that he had told apartment owners in the city to servce their Muslim renters eviction notices or he will have their business permits canceled. —ALG, GMA News