Comendador wants men allowed to carry guns inside malls

Acting Cebu City Police Office director Patrocinio Comendador plans to meet with managers and security heads of shopping malls and other business firms in the city to ask permission for his policemen to carry firearms inside their establishments.

Comendador's move came after last week's robbery of Jonas Borces Beauty Studio in which PO2 Antonio Din of the Mobile Patrol Group shot dead one of the robbers.

Din was having a haircut when the robbers struck. But as they were about to flee with their loot, Din immediately opened fire and hit one of them who was later identified as Rico Lumantas.

Comendador yesterday said he wants his personnel allowed to carry their firearms inside the establishments in order for them to quickly respond to any untoward incident, such as robbery, happening inside.

Comendador explained that there was actually no law prohibiting policemen from bringing their service firearms inside malls and other establishments.

But he said such prohibition was only implemented in shopping malls and other establishments in Cebu after a robbery incident in Manila in which the robbers wore police uniforms. He, however, said such case was an isolated one and did not occur in Cebu.

Comendador also said they are now exerting all efforts to gather more evidence in the robbery of Dranix Distributors Incorporated by men wearing police uniforms to see whether Lumantas' group was responsible.

This after policemen recovered a handcuff from the possession of Lumantas after he was killed.

Comendador also stressed that there is a possibility that Lumantas' group has been connected with the Kuratong Baleleng of Ozamiz City. "Organized dyud ning grupoha tungod sa nakuha natong armas ni Lumantas nga original .45 pistol."

He said he believed that the group is based in Ozamiz City and will only come to Cebu to execute their activities.

Meanwhile, Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau chief Paul Labra yesterday said they would look into the possibility that the group of Gerrjan Manago, whom police arrested for robbing the beauty parlor, has been involved in other robbery incidents in Cebu.

Manago was arrested last Saturday after one of the workers in his piggery business pointed to him as the one who planned the robbery. Yesterday afternoon, police have filed charges for robbery and illegal possession of drugs against him. - Flor Z. Perolina/LPM