No peace and order breakdown

CEBU, Philippines - Amid the series of killings in Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama insists there is no  breakdown of peace and order in the city.

“There is no breakdown of peace and order. You cannot be conclusive about it,” Rama told reporters yesterday.

He added that the current situation is not alarming compared to the time when the so-called vigilantism struck the city claiming the lives of over a hundred suspected criminals.

“No, dili matawag nga alarming ning panahona. Mas grabe pa to niadto nga 137 ka mga ulo ang gipangbuak,” Rama recalled.

Last week, there were four major killings in Cebu City.  Traffic enforcer Armando Daligdig was shot dead while manning the traffic in Banilad area allegedly by dismissed policeman, Geoffrey Borinaga.

That same day, one Jenrey Flores was also shot in Sitio Maracas, Barangay Lahug by an unidentified assailant.

Last Thursday, PO2 Gerlito Estremos was mauled and shot dead while patrolling on P. del Rosario and Junquera streets.

He was the leader of the Alert Team of Fuente Police Station.  He died of a gunshot wound and fractured bone in the head and face.

The assailants were on board a motorcycles when they blocked the cop.

Estremos confronted them for failure to wear helmets.  This irked the back rider who alighted from the motorcycle and dragged Estremos.

Estremos was mauled and repeatedly shot.

It is believed that the assailant used Estremos’ own handgun, which could not be found by responding policemen.

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 will be giving P153,000 while Malacañang will give P250,000 as financial aid to the family of Estremos.

Cebu City Police Office Acting Director Mariano Natu-el Jr. said they now have a background of one of the two assailants but he refused to give further details so as not to jeopardize their investigation.

Special investigators composed of the Cebu City Intelligence Branch, Investigation and Detective Management Branch and the Homicide Section are tasked to handle the case.

Investigators are coordinating with the management of one of the banks to get the footage of the closed circuit television camera which could help in the investigation.

There is another CCTV camera installed in a nearby establishment but police could not use its footage because it captured blurry images and was positioned in a different angle.

Because of the series of crimes in Cebu, PRO-7 is modifying its crime prevention strategy.

Chief Supt. Samuel Yordan, acting chief of Police Regional office (PRO-7), said they have to examine their approach in preventing crimes but emphasized that the recent crimes should not be a reason for the public to panic.

Aside from the killings last week,  a money remittance center at the North Reclamation  Area was robbed by three unidentified men taking P150,000.

Yordan said that during a command conference, all city directors and provincial directors have agreed to improve communication, response time, and crime prevention.

Rama, for his part, said that the police should be well-equipped to effectively combat criminalities.

He also reiterated his earlier promise to increase the allowance of the city police officers in his second term of office.

With international conventions on the way, the Cebu Provincial Government is worried of the possible effect that the recent crime would bring.

Acting Governor Agnes Magpale said that the major crimes that recently happened in Cebu City and Province is quite a concern.

Cebu is bidding to host the heads of state meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2015.

But Magpale said the good thing is that Cebu has already presented its bid to the APEC National Organizing Council.

The acting governor, however, stressed that regardless if Cebu is bidding for any international event or not, the crime rate should be curbed.

“Even without an international hosting, we owe it to our constituents that crime rate should be low,” she said. — Jessa J. Agua, Ria Mae Y. Booc, AJ de la Torre/MBG (FREEMAN)