Caringal on ‘swift justice’ for criminals

Swift and decisive justice.

This was how Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal described the deaths of criminals in shootouts with policemen in the past five months since he took over as police director of Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon).

"We will deal with you in a manner of your preference and talk to you in the language that you understand," he said as he warned criminal gangs in his turf to stop their illegal activities.

Caringal spoke during the first anniversary last Monday of the activation of the Calabarzon and Mimaropa (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) regional police offices.

In his speech, Caringal said his command has so far accounted for at least 114 criminals in the Calabarzon’s wanted list.

"There were also more than a dozen other known criminals who either unexplicably vanished without a trace or died under mysterious circumstances," he said, adding though that all these cases are being investigated.

Two notorious criminal groups — the so-called Tolentino and Simbahan gangs — were neutralized after their respective leaders, Jarencio Tolentino and Gelacio Simbahan, were killed in separate shootouts with lawmen.

Tolentino ranked sixth in the most wanted list in the Calabarzon, and Simbahan the fifth in Tanauan, Batangas.

Other notorious criminals, including Simbahan’s brother, Severo Malabanan, and one Rodante del Prado also suffered the same fate.

"In a manner of their preference, criminals who resisted arrest and opted to fight it out with police operatives were terminated with extreme justice," Caringal said.

"On the spot, justice was swift, decisive and deadly," he told police personnel, local businessmen and community leaders during the anniversary rites at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Calamba City, Laguna.

Caringal added that other criminals who "opted to surrender peacefully" were arrested and locked behind bars.

They included Benito Simbahan, the region’s most wanted man; Montano Tolentino, Jaime Ruiz, Ronilo Mendoza and Marvin Retuerma.

"To those who have opted to surrender, ‘you have made a wise decision because you will live to hear the cock crow at sunrise and see the sun at dusk, not, however, in the comforts of your hideouts, but behind prison bars’," Caringal said.

In the same event, Caringal also reaffirmed the support of the regional police for the Arroyo administration amid reports of destabilization.

"Among our most immediate concerns are the sinister efforts being instigated by some sectors of society to destabilize and overthrow the government," he said.

Caringal vowed to continuously uphold the Constitution, support the duly constituted authorities, and ensure that "democracy will prevail no matter what it takes."

Caringal also renewed his campaign against police scalawags and cited the importance of community partnership in the fight against criminality.

"Without the active support and cooperation of the populace, the police force is ineffective in its fight against criminality and lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism and other threats to public safety and order," he said.