Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot returns to work after a two month stay in the United States. Photo Daanbantayan FB page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It seems that Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot’s efforts to stay out of the public’s eyes and working away from the town’s municipal hall are over.
Loot reported for work at the Daanbantayan Municipal Hall on Friday, January 4, and had his photos taken and posted on Facebook while doing his official functions as a mayor.
A photo posted by the official Facebook page of Daanbantayan’s local government showed a smiling Loot surrounded by his department heads, barangay officials, workers from Daanbantayan Municipal Hall, and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officers who welcomed his return.
The post also said that Loot will be ‘back to work’ as the local chief executive of Daanbantayan town, located over 127 kilometers north of Cebu City.
“Mayor Loot is officially back in office today, January 4, 2019! Mayor Vicente A. Loot is warmly welcomed by municipal department heads, barangay officials, and Sangguniang Kabataan officials. Now that Mayor Loot is back in office, We are One as we continue to aim higher for a more progressive Daanbantayan and empowered people. Welcome back, Mayor!” the caption stated.
In a follow-up post, the Municipality of Daanbantayan’s Facebook page also uploaded photos of Loot, together with Daanbantayan Vice Mayor Gilbert M. Arrabis Jr., leading the ceremonial ribbon cutting and blessing rites of the first fast-food chain in the town which will be opened tomorrow, January 5.
Last November, Loot was granted authority to travel to the United States and Canada by Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III to ‘attend to personal matters’. This is also on top of his request for a 30-day vacation leave which started on November 18.
Loot is among the five former top police officials whose names were included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s narco-list or politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade, an accusation he has vehemently denied.
But last August 2018, Loot was purportedly barely seen in the municipality as he allegedly “feared for his life,” and was badly affected by the President Rodrigo Duterte’s insinuations of his alleged involvement in drugs.
The former police general, who is now serving his first term as Daanbantayan mayor, has decided not to seek reelection in the May 2019 midterm elections. His stepson, Cebu 4th District Provincial Board (PB) Member Sun Shimura, will be running in his place.
Cebu Daily News Digital tried to reach Shimura through the phone, but he could not be reached for comment./dbs