Amante nephew tagged in drugs gunned down in Laguna

SAN PEDRO CITY –– Another member of the Amante clan in San Pablo City in Laguna province was gunned down in his home on Saturday.

Gener Amante Jr., 45, also known as “Palapa,” a nephew of former mayor and clan patriarch Vicente Amante, was the second member of the immediate family killed since the government launched its anti-drug campaign.

In a text message to the Inquirer, Laguna police chief Col. Elezar Matta said Gener was gunned down around 8 a.m. in Barangay Sta. Maria Magdalena.

According to the police, the victim was sitting outside his home when the gunmen, onboard an unmarked black sports utility vehicle drove by and fired several shots.

Gener died while being taken to the provincial hospital in the city.

In 2016, President Duterte named the Amantes of San Pablo as among local chief executives involved in the illegal drugs trade.

Vicente and his son and incumbent mayor, Loreto, had denied the accusation.

But in an earlier Inquirer interview, Vicente said his name was only being dragged because of his brother and nephew’s alleged involvement in drugs.

The following year, in 2017, Vicente’s brother, Damaso, was shot dead by unidentified men. /lzb