I condemn the vicious killing of Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Hailing from the hometown of my mother, Mayor Bote was a humble, hard-working, and upright public servant in our community.

This incident, coming a day after the killing of Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, is a wrenching reminder of the breakdown of law and order in our country.

This administration ran on a strong anti-crime platform, but two years after, what we see instead is widespread criminality, lawlessness, and corruption.