PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte lambasted retired police general and Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot during two activities in Cebu that Duterte attended during the weekend.
Duterte mentioned Loot’s name during a meeting with Cebu mayors last Saturday and during his visit to Tabogon to attend its annual fiesta on Sunday afternoon.
In both speaking engagements, President Duterte said that Loot and retired police general Marcelo Garbo were involved in illegal drugs.
Duterte said this a week after Loot and his family survived an ambush attempt.
During his speech before Cebu mayors in the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City last Saturday, President Duterte threatened Loot and other mayors involved in illegal drugs that they would die.
“Di ba ipinatawag ko kayo sa Malacañang. ‘Di ba sinabi ko sa inyo nakakahiya. I would talk in a very harsh language. Pardon me. Mayor lang rin ako kagaya ninyo pero if you start to f*** with drugs, I will really finish you off,” President Duterte said.
In his visit to Tabogon, President Duterte also repeated his attack against Loot.
“Ambot si Loot kung buhi pato, p******* i**. Kining bataa nangita gyod og yayay (This man is looking for trouble),” President Duterte said.
President Duterte said that one room in Loot’s house is literally flooded with illegal drugs.
He also said that while serving as police general, Loot ordered the murder of two police officers and a military officer in Ozamiz City who allegedly didn’t obey his orders.
Duterte said he became more upset when Loot allegedly challenged him to prove his allegations that he was involved in illegal drugs.
“Maski tama ‘yung sinabi ng gunggong na ito, itong sabi niya na, “well I admitted that I was dealing with shabu but no, prove to me.” Siya pa ang magsabi prove. P***** i** mo, sige. Bigyan mo akong benta, I will prove to you that you’re dead. ‘Wag mo akong lokohin. ‘Wag mo akong --- hindi ako disenteng tao na magsalita ka lang hamunin mong... Hihiritan kita,” the President said.
Loot denied the President’s accusations. Loot said the President must know that as the town mayor, his residence is practically open to the public.
“I hope that President Duterte will make an inquiry on the false report that was submitted to him,” he said.
Loot blamed the Facebook account “Kababayan sa Daanbantayan,” which he described as a troll account intended to destroy his wife, former Daanbantayan mayor Malou Loot and himself.
He said this fake Facebook account first accused him of storing a huge amount of money in his room, and has now released the “news” that he flooded his room with illegal drugs.
He said the President should know that the police have cleared him already.
Speculation also circulated that Mayors Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City), Mariano Blanco Jr. (Ronda) and Loot (Daanbantayan) were refused entry to a dinner meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in a hotel last Saturday night.
According to Osmeña, he was actually not invited to the event.
“No, I was not refused entry but I was not invited and that is okay with me,” he said.
The mayor, though, was not the only top official in Cebu that was not reportedly invited.
“During the (Philippine National) Games opening, Gov. (Hilario) Davide III also said he had not been invited,” Osmeña said. (JKV, EOB, RTF)