TABOGON, Cebu — President Rodrigo Duterte lambasted Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot on Sunday in his speech before more than a thousand Tabogonanons at the Tabogon Multi-Purpose Covered Court here.
The President last year named Loot as one of the five police generals involved in illegal drugs together with former Police Regional Office – 7 Director Marcelo Garbo.
“Pa-general general. Yes, general problem. You (Loot) start to kill your own policemen who do not obey you,” President Duterte said.
In a meeting with Cebu’s local chief executives at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on Saturday evening, the President also lashed out at Loot, saying the Daanbantayan mayor has lots of drugs stored in the house.
“Remember, General Loot, your house was flooded with drugs in one room. Huwag na tayong maglokohan dito (Let’s not fool ourselves),” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, President Duterte, who was the guest of honor in Tabogon’s annual fiesta celebration, called on the people of Tabogon to be one with his administration in shunning terrorism, criminality, illegal drugs and corruption.
“Let us stand firm in our shared mission of building a great nation free from the shackles of terrorism, criminality, illegal drugs and corruption,” Duterte told residents of Tabogon led by his cousin, Mayor Zigfred Duterte.
“Together, let us work relentlessly in overcoming these obstacles on our way to become a more progressive and comfortable society,” he added.
The President also reiterated his firm stance in eliminating illegal drugs.
“Drugs will kill our nation someday… You reduce the young people of this country to crave for a chemical called ‘shabu’ and make them inutile for the rest of their lives,” Duterte said.
He also expressed his assurance to the police and the military that they have his protection if they are implicated in the performance of their duty.
Tabogon Mayor Duterte, for his part, said his cousin’s presence is a record-breaker as he is the first-ever Philippine President to have visited a third class municipality.
He said President Duterte assured him of assistance in improving the water distribution system of Tabogon.
Cifronio Lua, a senior citizen who was among the Tabogonanons who waited for Duterte’s arrival despite the very hot atmosphere at the covered court, said he will endure the heat as it was only now that Tabogon was visited by a president.
“In my 79 years in this town, no president has ever set foot in Tabogon. So, despite the heat, I will never miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Lua told a couple of reporters.
Present during the event were Presidential Adviser for the Visayas Michael Diño, Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of the 4th District of Cebu; Deputy Speaker and 3rd District of Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. (Luel Galarpe/PNA)
