City administrator Librado Dimaunahan, in last Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, revealed that Santos received a letter from a concerned citizen two weeks ago informing her about a plot to kill her for busting a drug syndicate.
The letter sender said the syndicate has employed guns-for-hire, who specialize in liquidating well-known public figures and politicians, to carry out the plan.
Dimaunahan said authorities have advised Santos to limit her movements, especially after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has verified the would-be assassins whom the letter sender identified.
"The (drug syndicate) might tap the services of these assassins to liquidate the mayor or even Sen. Ralph Recto," he said.
The syndicate reportedly wants to retaliate after a shabu laboratory was raided in Barangay Sto. Niño here recently, resulting in the seizure of 1,000 kilos of shabu valued at nearly P2 billion.
Chief Superintendent Antonio Atienza has doubled Santos’ security personnel and beefed up police presence around City Hall.
Atienza also urged City Hall employees "to be more vigilant and report any unsuspecting persons roaming around the vicinity."
Superintendent Rolando Lorenzo, Batangas police director, for his part, ordered intelligence units to check the reported slay plot against Santos.
"We have to neutralize (the plot). If there’s any criminal plan against the mayor and Sen. Recto, we have to take extra precautionary measures," he said.
Police, however, are also looking into whether the supposed slay plot is politically motivated.