Security in government facilities

A mayoral candidate of Sta. Fe town in Bantayan Island, Cebu, Councilor Rogelio Illustrisimo Sr. was shot dead in cold blood early this week right in front of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Office in the Cebu Provincial Capitol. To me, this incident stands out among many others in the recent spate of political killings. A photograph of his slain body had the COMELEC signboard as background, as if to mock the law enforcers.

Since the onset of election campaign, almost 100 cases of election-related violence have been recorded by the PNP, 31 of which led to deaths of candidates and political supporters. This is despite PNP Director General Oscar Calderon’s assurance that there will be no violence during elections. Almost everyday, we read of the increasingly blatant and wanton killings of government officials, often in broad daylight and in front of many witnesses.

The absence of security in and around government facilities and offices, which are supposedly landmarks of authority, is an increasing concern. I recall a recent incident when a disgruntled former soldier held two court employees hostage inside the Hall of Justice in suburban Taguig City, south of Manila. He managed to enter the premises with a handgun and a grenade either because security was lax or was not in place at all. Last month, 32 children and two teachers were also held hostage inside a bus by an engineer/contractor and an accomplice near the Manila City Hall supposedly to demand free education for them. They were also in possession of a couple of grenades and handguns. These could have been easily exploded with a slight provocation and even the police could not have stopped a bloody ending.

After these repeated incidents, coupled with simultaneous killings and violence nationwide, law enforcers should implement stricter security measures within a defined perimeter of all government offices and facilities, especially those where crowds of people tend to converge on a daily basis. There should never be an absence of alert and trained security personnel in offices where disputes are heard such as barangay and municipal halls, courts, police counters and other offices running high security risk. The gun ban should also be made more extensive especially as election approaches. Security checkpoints should be installed in more strategic places in the metropolis. Most important of all, security in all the entrances of such government facilities and offices must be seriously implemented once and for all. Government should invest in security gadgets such as roving cameras and metal detectors to support law enforcement and facilitate the capture and arrest of criminals. Let us not wait for another similar incident to happen.