(Eagle News)—Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot, who was named a narco-general by President Rodrigo Duterte, survived a strafing incident on Sunday, May 13.
The nanny of his grandchild and his two drivers were however wounded when five men carrying high-powered firearms shot at them at a port in Barangay Maya, Daanbantayan.
The mayor and his family, who had just arrived from Malapascua around 7 a.m., were unhurt because they were on a pumpboat at that time.
In a radio interview, Loot attributed the incident to “bounty hunters,” denying it had been staged to elicit sympathy from the public.
“May nagsabi sa akin na may group of bounty hunters na mga nandito. In fact, gustong ‘magregalo’ and we have their identities also,” Loot said.
Police have launched manhunt operations against the five suspects, who fled on board a white van.
Loot has been accused of receiving a P100,000 monthly payola from Kerwin Espinosa, but he has denied the allegations.
He and his wife are facing charges for ill-gotten wealth, among others.