The wife of retired Police Chief Superintendent Vicente Loot, the newly elected mayor of Daanbantayan town in Cebu, denied that their wealth was obtained through her husband's involvement drugs.
In an exclusive interview with Saleema Refram aired on "24 Oras" on Friday, Maria Luisa Loot said that the accusation has hurt her.
"Alam mo, kahit sino masakit to eh. Yung mga tanong lang... na ang pera namin galing sa drugs," she said.
She said that her hard-earned money came from the businesses that she had been running since she was 22.
"Nagtitinda ako ng mga bag na signature, mga damit, jewelries kung may maghahanap. Kasi yun ang mula noong 22 years old ako yun ang una kong naging negosyo na magbebenta ng alahas," Maria said.
Maria also denied that their family had large amounts of wealth, but admitted they had plenty of properties.
"Kahit halungkatin niyo pa lahat, wala kaming perang marami. Marami kaming property, when I was single na hindi pa ako nagpolitoko," she said.
In the 2014 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth of Loot, they declared their net worth to be more than P70 million.
They also listed 18 properties, including their townhouse in Mango Green Village in Mandaue City, where the office of their lending company, Eigado Lending Investors, is also located.
They also own a cockpit arena and a couple of luxury cars, which Maria claimed was funded by a loan.
Their home, a 3,000 square meter property, has a function hall, a koi pond, a swimming pool, and a Japanese garden.
Loot is one of the five generals accused by President Rodrigo Duterte of protecting drug lords.
In earlier interviews, Loot denied the allegations and said that he was a victim of black propaganda.
According to a diagram provided by Duterte, Loot was linked to a certain Peter Lim, an suspected drug lord.
While Loot admitted he was once friends with Lim, he said they are no longer in touch.
"Meron akong kaibigan na Peter Lim. At one time he was also...in a controversy in drugs. That was a long time ago already. And when I came into the picture as a Regional Chief of Narcotics Office, cleared na siya, wala na siya sa listahan," Loot said.