‘Narco-mayor’ survives ambush in Cebu; 4 hurt

MAYOR Vicente Loot, previously named by President Duterte in the “narco list,” and his family survived the ambush by two unidentified assailants who sprayed bullets on them while on board a pump boat at the New Maya Port in Daanbantayan town, northern Cebu on Sunday morning.

Their two drivers – Arnel Rosario, 47, and Ruben Castañeda, 50; Jerly Rosell, 26, a nanny of Loot’s grandson, and Bernabe Yosor, 58, a porter sustained gunshot wounds from the attack.

Loot’s wife, former Daanbantayan Mayor Maria Luisa, his stepson Cebu provincial board member Sun Shimura and wife with their three children aged 7, 4 and 2, and Shimura’s brother Luis Vicente and his two children aged 5 and 2, and three other nannies who were with them, all survived the attack.

Supt. Virgilio Bayon- on, Cebu Provincial Police Office ( CPPO) spokesman, said Loot and his family attended a fiesta in Logon in Malapascua Island on Saturday night and when they reached the New Maya Port at about 7: 20 a. m., armed men on board a parked white van attacked their pump boat.

B ayo n - o n said Ro s a - rio, Castañeda and Rosell were the first to get off from the pump boat and as soon as they boarded a waiting vehicle, the assailants fired at them as well as the pump boat carrying Loot and his family.

Witnesses told investigators they were able to get the van’s license plate which is 5884.

Police recovered 19 empty shells of an M16 firearm from the scene.

Meanwhile, Shimura told TheManilaTimes he did not notice at once that they were ambushed because he was facing at the back and carrying one of his children while preparing to disembark the pump boat.

“I was on the other side of the pump boat during the bursts of gunfire,” Shimura said. “I think the target was mayor ( Loot).”

They immediately ducked and crawled on the floor while his three children were crying.

“The blessed Mother [ Birhen de los Desamparados] took pity on us [ because we survived the ambush],” he added.

Shimura believes the ambush is not related to politics as he urged the police to hasten their investigation to identify the perpetrators.

“This is not election related. This is the first time [ that happened to us]. I hope it is not politically related.” he said.