MANILA - Opposition lawmakers on Monday blamed President Rodrigo Duterte for the death of Tanauan Mayor Antonio Halili of Batangas, who they say is the latest in the string of killings under the administration.

Halili, who was supposedly in the list of high-value drug targets of the police and was subjected to "Oplan Tokhang," was shot dead during a flag ceremony in his city.

• 'Walk of shame' mayor shot dead

Senator Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, said Halili's death was another case of "killing resulting from the so-called drug war launched by the government."

"These may be revenge killings as EJK victims know who killed their relatives...It is the government’s duty to prevent and solve criminality and the breakdown in the rule of law," he said in a statement.

"It is this Philippine image of a 'wild, wild west' that has also dampened the desire of both foreign and local investors from investing, thereby slowing down our economic development and preventing much ended employment opportunities and jobs for our citizens," he added.

• Caught on camera: Moments after Batangas town mayor gunned down

For Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, Halili's death underscores the continuing impunity under the Duterte administration.

"Ito yung talagang realidad na merong state of impunity sa ating bansa...Talagang hindi safe. Lahat, mayor ka man, pari ka man o ordinaryong mamamayan," he said.

(This is the reality that there is a state of impunity in our country. It's not safe. Even if you're the mayor, a priest, or an ordinary citizen.)

"Dapat ito ang pagtuunan talaga ng pansin ng pamahalaan, ng hierarchy ng kapulisan: itong lumalalang krimen, hindi iyong istambay. Sa susunod na araw sino na naman ang susunod na tutumba diyan. So it’s a failure ng anti-crime campaign," he added.

(This should be where the administration and police focus on: the worsening criminality, not the loiterers. In the next days, there might be another one gunned down. It's a failure of the anti-crime campaign.)

KILLING MAYORS

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio pointed out that Duterte cracked a joke about killing mayors just recently.

Duterte reportedly told a convention of vice mayors to replace their non-performing mayors in the localities by kidnapping them and threatening to kill them.

"Ang punto rito - kung ikaw presidente at nagbibiro ka ng ganiyan sa kalagayang realidad, ang mga political killing na ganiyan, talagang malaking bagay ito na lumilikha ng climate of impunity," said Tinio.

"Magdududa ka ngayon sa kakayahan at kagustuhan ng presidente na hanapan ng hustisya ang kalagayang ito, ang mahuli ang mga gumawa, na mapanagot ang mga responsable," he added.

"May pananagutan si presidente sa mga nangyayari dahil sa mga pahayag niya."

Halili made headlines about 2 years ago when he paraded suspected drug criminals in a "Walk of Shame" around the city.

• 11 drug suspects take walk of shame in Batangas

A year later, he lost supervision over the police, along with other officials accused of dabbling with the narcotics trade. He denied the allegations. - with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

• 'Duterte ng Batangas,' tinarget ng Tokhang