Chief Supt. Noli Taliño on Tuesday said he will conduct an investigation following reports that retired police general Vicente Loot allegedly established a shabu laboratory in Isla de Gato.
But so far, the new Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director said he hasn’t received verified reports of any illegal operations in Isla de Gato aside from news reports and an online post.
“But I’ll have that island monitored,” he told reporters.
Loot, now the mayor of Daanbantayan town, north Cebu, was among the alleged “protectors of drug groups” named by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
Taliño said they are also monitoring persons in the region with the name of Peter Lim, mentioned and labeled by President Duterte as a big-time drug lord whose base of operations is in Central Visayas.
“Marami Peter Lim eh. Ako personally hindi ko alam kung sino ang Peter Lim na yan pero yong ating mga investigators, iniimbestigahan nila lahat (There are several Peter Lims. I personally don’t know who the president alluded to but our investigators are monitoring all Peter Lims),” he explained.
Based on Bureau of Immigration database, there are about 4,000 people named Peter Lim in the entire country.
Taliño said he will support any investigation that will be conducted by the government against those involved in illegal drugs.
“We won’t spare anyone, including politicians, businessmen and even policemen,” he said.
Loot on Saturday told CDN that he and a Peter Lim from Cebu City are “kumpadres” as Lim is the ninong of his eldest son. He further revealed that when he was still in active duty in the 1980s, he and other police officers borrowed vehicles from Peter Lim for their operations.
When he was chief of the Anti-Narcotics Unit in Central Visayas from 2000 to 2002, Loot said Lim wasn’t on their watch list for illegal drugs.
Loot also denied owning Isla de Gato contrary to a report circulated online.
He said pumpboats can’t dock at Isla de Gato since it does not have any docking area, but tourists and regular divers visit the island regularly.
Isla de Gato is located off Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan and is considered a favored dive site.