Vic Loot is back, gets municipal position

CEBU, Philippines —  After being out of the limelight for a while, retired police general and former Daanbantayan mayor Vicente Loot is back, this time as the new municipal administrator of Daanbantayan in northern Cebu.

Mayor Sun Shimura confirmed to The Freeman that Loot started working July 4 after the latter applied for the position.

“So far okay ra man ang dagan. It’s been three days…

He applied to the said position, so who am I to say no? More than fit siya sa position," Shimura said.

Loot, a former police general, was one of five “narco generals” Duterte named in 2016. The other four were former Quezon City Police District chief Edgardo Tinio, former National Capital Region Police Office chief Joel Pagdilao, ex-Western Visayas police chief Bernardo Diaz, and Police Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr.

The five denied the allegations but in March 2019, Loot was included in the “validated” list of 43 politicians allegedly involved in drugs.

While still mayor, Loot went on leave on November 18, 2018, several months after an ambush on his family that injured his grandchildren’s nanny. Loot was with his five grandchildren during the attack in May last year.

Five unidentified armed men opened fire at Loot and his family as they were disembarking from a passenger boat at the New Maya wharf in Daanbantayan. They came from Malapascua Island.

Loot had to resort to performing his duties as mayor from undisclosed locations due to threats to his life.

Shimura said that despite being tagged as a narco cop, there was never a case filed against Loot.

Loot became mayor of Daanbantayan in 2016. He is the husband of the former mayor of the same town, Ma. Luisa Loot. – JMD (FREEMAN)