MANILA, Philippines — Former mayor Vicente Loot of Daanbantayan, Cebu, a former police official in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s narco list, is back in government.
Loot attended the flag-raising ceremony at the Daanbantayan municipal hall grounds on Monday, where he was introduced as the administrator of the local government unit.
“Today is a start of a new beginning for all of us,” Loot said in his speech.
As administrator, Loot will oversee the operations of all municipal departments and serve as a liaison between the mayor and department heads.
Loot’s stepson, Sun Shimura, is the new mayor of Daanbantayan.
Amid rumors that he is the town’s de facto mayor, Loot said he is only Shimura’s subordinate.
“I am his soldier and as a disciplined soldier, I follow whatever my superior would say to me,” he said.
Loot appealed to municipal hall employees not to address him as mayor, saying he is only the alter ego of his stepson.
“My first order is anybody who will address me as mayor will pay the fine of one box of pizza,” he noted in jest.
Duterte first accused Loot and several other former police officials of involvement in the illegal drug trade in 2016.
The former president claimed Loot has a room in his house filled with illegal drugs.
Loot and his family survived an ambush in May 2018 at Maya Port in Daanbantayan that left his driver and the nanny of his grandchildren wounded.
The following year, Duterte said he ordered the ambush and expressed frustration that the former police general was not killed.
Despite Duterte’s threats, no charges were filed against Loot in connection with the illegal drug trade.