D’bantayan mayor: No One Cebu for me

DAANBANTAYAN Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot turned down the appeal of the patriarch of the Garcia family to support Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s One Cebu party in the 2013 election.

“She (Gwen) booted me out of One Cebu. What would be my reason to  go back?” Loot told Cebu Daily News.

The fiesty mayor said she was approached by 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia, the governor’s father, who hoped she would set aside differences with the governor.

Loot said she had high regards for “Pabling” Garcia but is comitted to support the Liberal Party tandem of Jun-jun Davide and Agnes Magpale in 2013.

Loot said she and her family would not even support Governor Garcia’s senatorial bid.

Daanbantayan in the 4th district in north Cebu hosts Malapascua Island, a world-renowned dive spot whose tourism development is the subject of a management plan under the Office of the Governor.

The Daanbantayan mayor said the elder Garcia contacted her through Ronda Mayor Nonie Blanco last week.

“Pabling has greatly helped Daanbantayan. That’s why we campaigned for Gwen when she ran for governor during her first term. That is the reason Gwen won. We brought in the swing votes,” said Loot.

Loot said that ever since she was cut off from One Cebu following her falling out with Govenor Garcia, Daanbantayan has not received any assistance from the provincial government. Instead, Loot said, they have been getting harassment suits in two administrative cases filed against her and her officials by the Provincial Board (PB).

One case involved her closure of illegal cemeteries in the town. The second case involved the municipal treasurer’s lapse in remitting on time the town’s real property taxes to the Capitol.

One Cebu party spokesman Rory Jon Sepulveda said he was not in a position to confirm the report about Garcia’s meeting with Loot.