Loot’s dilemma

Fearing for his life, Daanbantayan town Mayor Vicente Loot is holding office in an undisclosed location as he does not want to be exposed in public amid assassination threats. He has been ambushed once and has chosen to lay low since then.

Now, concerns are mounting as to whether or not he can fully serve his constituents considering his no-show at the Municipal Hall. Except for his family and aides, no one knows where the former police general is now holding office.

Is Loot’s physical absence from the Municipal Hall a violation of his oath of office? Did he break any law for opting to hide from the public while he continues to attend to his official duties as the town’s chief executive? For Loot, his decision to work away from the town hall is necessary to protect his life as he insisted that he is really not in hiding.

As for Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, he said he understands Loot’s situation. As long as Loot does not abandon his responsibilities to his constituents, the governor said he does not mind where Loot is working, something that Department of Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales agreed with.

Loot has the right to protect his life from the serious threats following President Rodrigo Duterte’s allegation he is involved in the illegal drug trade. Since the accusation has nothing to do with his running the affairs of his town, he needs to preserve his life in order to serve his people well, being their mayor.

However, his physical absence from the Municipal Hall also denies his constituents the right to have a leader they can readily go to when the need arises. That they want him to be always visible as much as possible is something that Loot cannot deny.

It seems Loot now has a dilemma, being torn between being preoccupied with protecting his life from threats and the daily demand of attending to his mayoralty duties.