Mayor removes Carbon police station commander

Saturday, February 18, 2012

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has decided to relieve the Carbon Police Station commander because of Thursday’s drive-by shooting of a barangay intelligence network (BIN) member in broad daylight.

Rama did not bother to read the explanation of Station 5 Chief Insp. Renero Agustin for the incident, the latest in a string of shooting incidents in the city this week.

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“Diin man diay sila (Where were they)?” asked Rama of the policemen, after BIN member Catalino Entoma was shot dead at Unit 2 of the Carbon Public Market last Thursday noon by two men on board a motorcycle.

“The station commander should be out of the area,” said Rama of the police station chief.

Agustin told reporters he will he will not ask for a reconsideration of the mayor's directive, as he trusts the mayor’s wisdom in ordering his relief.

Upset

The unsolved drive-by shootings have upset Rama, who ordered Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe to explain the lapses in maintaining peace and order in the city.

Following the mayor’s orders, all station chiefs yesterday gathered in a conference at the CCPO to discuss security measures.

Rama also said it will be up to Buenafe to transfer Agustin from the Carbon Police Station.

It wasn't all bad news for Agustin, though, as Rama announced an increase in the allowance of CCPO policemen.

Agustin will be included in the list, despite Rama's disappointment over Entoma’s shooting.

Each CCPO policeman is already receiving P2,000 allowance.

The mayor wants to add another P1,000 to P2,000, depending on what will be agreed upon in a meeting with key City Hall officials.

“Withdrawal of allowance is not an answer,” Rama said on pushing the police force to deal with the spate of killings in the city.

Attacks

In just five days, four men were wounded and three were killed in separate shooting incidents, including the attack on Entoma and the drive-by shooting incidents in different areas in the city.

Last Wednesday, a police informant and an anti-crime volunteer were shot dead by unidentified assailants in separate incidents in the city.

Michael “Kiloy” Moralde, reportedly an informant of CCPO’s City Intelligence Branch, was shot dead by unidentified men in Barangay Pasil at 3 a.m.

Also, unidentified assailants on board a gray sedan shot five teenagers in separate incidents. One of them was killed.

Operatives already have the identities of the suspects of the drive-by shootings but will still not divulge the names.

Motorcycles

The shootings also prompted the mayor to ask what happened to the 44 motorcycles that the City Government gave to the city police force.

Buenafe assured that the Motorcycle Response Team composed of Special Weapons and Tactics team members are doing their job.

The CPPO director, though, requested City Hall to grant more two-way radios for the motorcycle cops to improve their communication and hasten response to crimes.

Buenafe assured they are doing everything to fight crime and solve the cases, but he also sought the cooperation of Cebuanos, stressing that the public’s help is vital in maintaining peace and order.