Rama to sue Garbo for sending cops to Capitol

CEBU, Philippines -  Mayor Michael Rama threatened to file a case against Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 Director Marcelo Garbo for deploying several policemen at the Capitol compound last Wednesday making the place look like a garrison.

The mayor was mad at Garbo because he was not consulted when the police official deployed policemen from the PNP Regional Safety Battalion(RSB) to secure the Capitol and those who padlocked the office of suspended Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

“Kon ang iyang police camp maoy akong padlockan, unsa kaha’y iyang buhaton?” Rama, an ally of Garcia, said.

Rama instructed Cebu City Police Office Acting Director Mariano Natuel to make sure that the Capitol will not look like a garrison with the presence of several policemen.

He will check today if Natuel followed his instruction to pull out some of the policemen at the Capitol compound.

However, since the PNP personnel assigned to secure the Capitol are from the RSB, they are not under Natuel’s command and he cannot just pull them out.

Senior Supt. Edward Carranza, Chief of the Directorial Staff of the PRO 7, explained that the police just secured the Capitol compound while the Civil Security Unit padlocked the Office of the Governor.

“What the PNP did was only to make sure that there is order in the enforcement of the order of the designated Governor Agnes Magpale,” said Carranza, who spoke in behalf of PRO 7 director Marcelo Garbo, who is in Bohol for the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting.

Carranza said Supt. Leopoldo Cabanag, the designated ground commander at the Capitol, was informed about the padlocking at around 3 pm.

“Around 6 pm, I went there to see to it that our policemen will just be doing their duties based on the police operational procedures.  Nakita n’yo naman  sa inyong video footages, wala pong pulis na nagpa-padlock,” he added.

Carranza said personnel of the Regional Public Safety Battalion will remain deployed in the Capitol to assist the blue guards in maintaining peace and order unless Magpale orders them to pull out.

“RPSB is also deterrent for possible clashes between the two parties.  In the meantime, the Office of the Governor is locked, so nobody is allowed to enter,” Carranza said.  (FREEMAN)