EDITORIAL - Thorough probe into Yballe’s death needed

As far as the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas is concerned, Police Corporal Feliciano Yballe was not responsible for the death of Police Master Sergeant Junard Cinco, who was gunned down in Toledo City last Tuesday.

And as far as the PRO-7 leadership knows, Yballe was not killed in a hot pursuit operation by the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office for his alleged involvement in the killing of Cinco.

Brigadier General Debold Sinas, director of PRO-7, insisted that Yballe’s death was a result of a “misencounter and mis-coordination” between Yballe and the CPPO-PIB operatives who went to his house to supposedly ask him to guide them to Cinco’s killer.

“According to CCPO team, he heard a shot that led to the exchange of fire and the misencounter. The team leader ordered ceasefire, and when they went inside the house, they saw the wounded body,” Sinas said.

Well, it is really hard to determine if the police and their top regional official are telling the truth. No civilian witness has come forward to testify what exactly happened during the incident that led to Yballe’s death.

The public also cannot rely on the testimony of the 18 CPPO-PIB personnel, who have been relieved from their posts following the incident, because any statement from them can be construed as one-sided.

Since the incident involves the police, we cannot really expect any witness to surface. Why? Because it has been a tradition for Filipinos to keep mum on incidents involving authorities, since they always fear for their lives.

But since Sinas has already spoken, the next thing the public wants to hear from him is his explanation of the circumstances surrounding the event, such as why Yballe had no prior information of the effort of the CPPO-PIB to coordinate with him.

To avoid perception that Yballe’s killing was a rubout, the PRO-7 leadership should conduct a thorough investigation.