A challenging year for cops

CEBU, Philippines - 2011 proved to be a year of challenges for the local police. Certain victories came along the way, too, but the general atmosphere in Cebu was far from safe.

For one, no less than Cebu City Police Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe describe the proliferation of unregistered guns as very alarming. There is a reason to be alarmed, police said, as these types of firearms often end up in the hands of criminals.

The problem remains on top of the priority list of the PNP.

Most the unregistered guns here are reportedly produced by unregistered gun factories in Danao City in the northern part of the province.

Buenafe knows the problem quite well having worked as intelligence officer at the Police Regional Office during which time a study was conducted to determine the relationship between loose firearms and criminality in Central Visayas, more particularly in Cebu City.

At that time, there were reportedly roughly 50,000 firearms in Central Visayas including unregistered and expired firearms with around 3,000 loose firearms believed to “never have been registered” in Cebu City alone.

Based on the study, a single household in Danao City with two able gun makers can produce two firearms in a week or roughly 10 guns in a month, a little less compared to other legal and bigger manufacturers but enough to supply lawless elements.

But with an estimated 100 households with the same productivity in a week, the group can produce 200 firearms a week or 800 firearms in a month. This, according to Buenafe, is very relative and alarming.

Considering that the study was conducted a few years ago, it is most likely that the figures have increased. He said that while the guns are distributed to various areas in the region, Cebu City, being a highly urbanized area, is the most ideal place to sell the guns, particularly to lawless elements.

Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of the Firearms and Explosive Division (FED) Central Visayas, reported last month that Cebu City is one of six areas in Region 7 where the proliferation of loose firearms is increasing at constant rate. One factor that contributes to the rise, he said, is the failure of gun owners to renew their gun licenses.

Last January 2011, the FED recorded 8,951 guns with renewed licenses but the number eventually decreased by 15 percent. This means, only 7,798 licenses were renewed by year’s end and 1,153 guns remained loose.

Buenafe is worried that more and more loose firearms are landing on unscrupulous hands and will eventually affect the city’s peace and order situation.

Last month, in an attempt to address the problem, PRO-7 Deputy for Operations Sr. Supt. Louie Oppus listed down the names of gun owners whose licenses have expired. He sent the list to city and provincial police directors with a strict directive for them to visit each person in the list and to remind them personally to renew their license. The police must also do so in proper uniform.

Oppus wants to cut the list down by 50 percent as 2011 comes to a close. Those who fail to heed the order face the risk of getting relieved from their post.

Oppus said they are also eyeing at legalizing small-time gunsmiths in Danao City. No less than PRO-7 Director Marcelo Garbo Jr. directed Oppus to study the situation and come up with an arrangement that can be beneficial to both the gun manufacturers and the community at large. Oppus had said he would also want to give local gunsmiths a chance at decent work to support their families.

Within the first quarter of 2012, a summit will gather all concerned parties to discuss the situation thoroughly. Garbo said PRO-7 wants to elevate the image of the local gun-making industry to the rest of the world.

Scenarios

Meanwhile, data showed that there were 5,437 crimes committed in Cebu Province in 2011. Of this number, 3,034 have not yet been resolved.

Crimes committed against persons and properties or the so-called index crimes rose by 70 percent on February and March, but Buenafe said these were mostly petty crimes that are reportedly “natural” in a highly-urbanized area like Cebu City.

Theft and robbery cases remained the most rampant index crimes with more than 3,000 theft cases and 1,319 robberies cases recorded, most of which done by motorcycle-riding suspects.

Significantly, more crimes reportedly found resolution by the fourth quarter of 2011 when the police augmented its operations with the entrance of the “ber” months.

Interestingly, the same month the augmentation initiatives were launched, a group of robbers from Mindanao attacked a bank teller who was about to deliver P1.2 million to a money changing station inside a mall along Fuente Osmeña.

The bank teller, Lewin Surig, survived but his two guard escorts, Liti Udag and Leofel Etac, died that day. One of those who shot one of the guards was said to be the lookout.

On their way to escape, the robbers bumped into three policemen – PO1 Jay Catacutan, PO1 Roy Ceniza and PO1 Ernesto Silva, all members of the Mobile Patrol Group – and an exchange of fire ensued. Catacutan and Ceniza were wounded during the exchange.

With the entire city police force alerted, “Oplan Universe” was initiated and ended with three of robbers shot dead. The three were identified as Mario Dapitan, Antonio Adelan and Melencio Quiapo. Although wounded, the group’s leader Jun-Jun Cabando managed to escape and reportedly exited Cebu a few days later. The group, which came from Ozamis City, was identified as the Cabando Robbery group.

Motorcops

The botched heist prompted Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to hasten the release of 44 XRM200 Motorcycles for CCPO’s Motorcop units.

The motorcycles were released to members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of the city police assigned to patrol the city to optimize police visibility, especially in crime-prone areas, particularly at night.

Buenafe said the motorcycles would also enable them to respond more quickly to alarms involving motorcycle-riding-criminals.

Rama himself is optimistic and considers the Motorcop Response Unit or Motorcops a good investment. The Motorcops concept was conceived through an existing program of the Philippine National Police called the Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS).

Challenges

The Motorcops have their work cut out for them essentially, what with the kind of cases that rocked Cebu City in 2011.

A few months ago, a graduating nursing student dropped out of school and killed his mother at their house in Barangay Mambaling. The suspect, Christian Lucky Dalangin, 20, killed his mother, Ruby Rosa Tenchavez, by slitting her throat last August 23.

Afterwards, she was buried in a four feet-deep cemented grave inside the stockroom of the house. Forensics experts said Dalangin killed his mother in the living room where they found blood stains on the floor. He then placed her body on the couch and sought help from his friend Carmelo Echevalla, 19. However, Echevalla ran away in fear when he found out that what Dalangin had asked him to do was help place the victim’s body in a trash bag.

Reportedly appearing to be high on drugs, Dalangin allegedly threatened Echevalla that something bad would happen to the latter’s family if Echevalla would tell the police about what he saw.

Dalangin did not deny the crime and pleaded guilty to homicide. The court sentenced him to up to 17 years in prison. The knife, which was used in the killing, was never found.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the killing was spurred by a fight between the mother and son, which reportedly stemmed from Dalangin’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs and his constant drunkenness.

Four months after the incident, a 17-year-old boy who claimed to be a drug addict admitted to killing a homosexual, saying he did so because the victim had refused to pay him for his sexual services.

The boy had said that the victim, Felix Alsalde Jr., 23, promised to pay him P200 but eventually failed to do so.

He said Alsalde, also known as “Luningning,” had been his “avid customer” since March 2010 and had not missed a payment. However, on what would already be their last time together last December 9, Alsalde allegedly did not pay him, thus, with the victim still kneeling before him, bludgeoned him with a piece of wood. He then fled and hid in Barangay Lahug until he surrendered.

Police later found Alsalde on his back, his trousers and brassieres pulled down. Because of his minority, authorities turned the boy over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 for the agency to determine if he had acted with discernment when he killed Alsalde.

Mandaue Crimes

In the neighboring Mandaue City, criminality showed no sign of stopping either. In fact, prominent personalities became the subjects of criminal acts – businessman Antonio Ouano Sr., businesswoman-exporter Irish Marie Hugo Gonzales and, just recently, noted fashion designer Joy Bernaldez. A seven-year-old boy also became the ultimate sacrifice for hatred and jealousy.

So far, only two of the four cases found resolution – that of Bernaldez and the child. In Bernaldez’ case, the assailant, Australian Joseph Cardona, 53, her live-in partner, ended his own life after shooting Bernaldez. In the child’s case, the assailant, the live-in partner of the boy’s mother, eventually admitted to the crime.

Bernaldez was killed last December 17 at her house in Barangay Cabancalan. Cardona shot Bernaldez on the head and shot himself afterwards at the garage.

House helps said the couple was always arguing prior to the incident because Bernaldez reportedly wanted to end the relationship.

Six months earlier, Ouano, a wharf administrator, was ambushed by two motorcycle-riding assailants while on board his car at the height of a heavy downpour. At that time, Ouano was heading toward Branch 28 of the Regional Trial Court located in front of the Mandaue City Hall to attend a hearing of a case filed against him by his sister Vilma.

He had just come from a mediation hearing at the Palace of Justice at the North Reclamation Area in relation to a dispute over a piece of land between him and a certain Dr. Danny Dionson.

Ouano was on board his Totoya Hilux with his secretary Nene Mangubat when waylaid by the suspects at the intersection near the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). Bullets hit him on the left hand, abdomen and chest.

Authorities are yet to divulge the results of the investigation, but speculations are ripe that Ouano’s death had something to do with business and his supposed rivalry with his siblings being the administrator of the family-owned Ouano wharf. Reports also have it that Vilma’s filing of cases against Ouano had caused faction among the Ouano siblings.

A month after Ouano’s death, Gonzales was shot dead inside her Starex van after fetching her partner from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

She was shot past 6pm last September 17 just 500 meters away from the Mandaue City Police Office headquarters. Authorities are looking at business dealings, personal grudge and even love as motives of the killing.

Yet what shocked the Mandaue community most, perhaps, was the kidnapping and killing of a seven-year-old boy in Barangay Subangdaku last October 2.

The suspect, Mario Abesia, 42, a company driver, admitted kidnapping Gabriel Morales after he found out that the woman had left him for another man. The child’s body was found wrapped in a yellow blanket buried in a shallow grave near the toilet of Abesia’s house three days after the boy went missing.

Abesia is currently detained at the Mandaue City Jail.

Osorio killer caught

Despite these challenges, the police still scored some positive points in 2011, one of which was the capture of the suspect in the killing of Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Osorio. The fiscal was killed over two years ago.

Lyndon Horandoy, 28, a native of Maghaway, Talisay City, was arrested at a parlor in the mountain barangay Guba, Cebu City where he worked as a barber. He had stayed in the barangay for one year and eight months until his arrest.

Horandoy was watching over his infant child when the police stormed into the parlor. Horandoy did not resist arrest and was reportedly cooperative. He also identified the mastermind behind the shooting during interrogation, admitted that he shot Osorio and revealed that he accepted P50,000 to do the job.

In a complete turnaround, however, he retracted his supposed statements and pleaded not guilty to the crime during his arraignment last November.

Before spotted by the police, Horandoy hid in Barilli town and later transferred residence to Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City. He reportedly was forced to leave Cebu for Bohol when operations for his capture intensified.

Alan Senugat, the driver of the motorcycle ridden by Horandoy, was arrested last 2009.

Osorio was shot while driving his vehicle along Maria Gochan Street on January 6, 2009. The motive for the killing remains a question but police suspect the cases he had handled had something to do with his death.

Chief under fire

Amidst achievements such as this, however, the PNP seems to never get spared from controversy, even those on top of the ladder. 

Roughly a month since he assumed as Provincial Police Director, Garbo figured in an issue involving solicitations.

Last October 21, 2011, PRO-7 distributed solicitation letters to his junior officers for a benefit golf tournament, the money raised from which would supposedly be used for a clubhouse in PC Hills in Barangay Lahug.

However, when The FREEMAN got hold of the letter and consulted the National Police Commission, it was learned that Napolcom 7 Director Homer Cabaral had not sanctioned the solicitation.

Cabaral clarified, nevertheless, that solicitation is not illegal per se, but Garbo’s initiative ended up as such owing to his failure to notify Napolcom about the activity and, thus, violating a 10-year-old Napolcom Memorandum that says only the Napolcom en banc can approve activities of such nature.

After the report came out in the media, Garbo immediately shelved the tournament, recalled all the letters, and promised to search for other ways to raise funds for the club house project.

The mistake might just have been innocent, one might surmise, and the project might just have been genuinely for a good cause. Garbo, after all, has developed a reputation of steadfastness as far as improvement of the police force is concerned.

This reputation was tested with PIPS, a program he himself drafted. Aside from the Motorcops, another major component of PIPS is the “Tamang Bihis” of all personnel of PNP. Last November, two police station chiefs and three non-commissioned police officers were relieved from their posts for not wearing the proper uniform. Garbo personally caught the three non-commissioned police officers and their station chiefs shared the penalty by virtue of command responsibility.

The three policemen were transferred to Negros Oriental and Bohol while their superiors were moved to other police stations.

Garbo has set the bar high and the public will certainly not expect less from the local police this 2012.-/JMO (FREEMAN)