Tom O okays bounty versus vigilantes

Mayor Tomas Osmeña does not have any problems with the police announcement that a bounty would definitely entice witnesses of vigilante-style killings to come out in the open and cooperate with the investigation.

Yesterday, Osmeña said he welcomed the offer of a P500,000 bounty by private individuals if only to fast track the investigation into the 179 cases of vigilante-style killings in the city since December 2004.

Councilor Hilario Davide III told the City Council the other day that some people have approached him to make the offer of a reward. Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief Pablo Labra admitted that the bounty would be a major factor in getting the investigation moving.

But while he is amenable to the reward, Osmeña said the scale should be balanced, specifically aiming his attention to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines that has been very vocal against the vigilante killings.

The mayor said the IBP should make the first move of exposing the "scalawags" in its ranks such as erring lawyers and judges. Since the first vigilante-style killing was hatched, the mayor has always been critical about the IBP, saying that before it criticizes the police for their failure to curb the killings, it should also stop giving legal assistance to suspected criminals.

Likewise, Osmeña had said that if the IBP is serious in its crusade against the vigilante-style killings, it should file the appropriate charges against the persons that it reportedly identified to have executed the killings.

IBP Cebu City chapter president Alex Tolentino earlier claimed they already have the names of the vigilantes but no one has been charged until today.

The other day, the City Council called for a special session with the special unit chiefs and 11 station commanders of the Cebu City Police Office to determine how far the investigation into the alleged vigilante killings has gone.

During the session, Labra told the council that a hindrance to their ongoing investigation is the absence of eyewitnesses and the non-cooperation of the victims' families.

Of the recorded cases of vigilante-style killings, only a few have reached the prosecutor's office. But Labra clarified that some of the cases may only be simple murders that were not executed by the so-called vigilantes.

Yet even with a bounty, Labra could not assure the council that a case can be solved in a few days. He said they are also working on other priorities such as the proliferation of drugs, rising robbery incidents, fraternity violence and anti-terrorism campaign.

Osmeña had admitted he inspired the suspected vigilante killings but immediately denied any responsibility. The suspicion, however, is that the vigilante-type group is no other than the so-called Hunters Team which Osmeña had formed to go after the criminals.

Osmeña conceived the Hunters Team as answer to the rising criminality in the city, saying he had noted in the few months since its creation the "apparent helplessness of the regular police force to contain the criminals." - Joeberth M. Ocao and Ramil V. Ayuman