Retired Philippine National Police (PNP) Gen. Vicente Loot appears declining to be interviewed by a lady journalist upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City from Cebu on Thursday (July 7, 2016) to report to new PNP chief Director-General Ronald dela Rosa at Camp Crame in Quezon City. Loot, who was one of the five police generals named by President Rodrigo R. Duterte as protecting drug lords, was elected mayor of Daanbantayan town in Cebu in the May 9 local elections. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – A retired police general who was linked by President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drug trade faced investigators at the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday.
Vicente Loot, who was elected mayor of Daanbantayan town in Cebu last may, was scheduled to meet with Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.
Loot has denied the President’s charge, which he dismissed as “black propaganda” for the elections. Loot succeeded his wife as Daanbantayan mayor.
“Hindi ko maisip kung bakit ako i-label na ganoon when in fact, my last…8 years in service, since 2007, wala na akong assignment sa unit na involved in anti-illegal drugs,” he said.
Duterte named five police officials, including Loot, as alleged coddlers of drug rings earlier this week. Three of the five, who are in active duty, faced a separate DILG inquiry on Thursday.
Loot was director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Training Service and director of Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas before he retired.
The retired general had a net worth of P70.285 million according to his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) filed on April 15, 2015.
His properties include 10 vehicles, 12 houses, 4 agricultural lots, and a cockpit arena. He also has P9.8 million in loans. (MNS)