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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Trader shot on Christmas Day
By Danilo V. Adorador III
A BUSINESSMAN from Zamboanga City was shot on Christmas day, but police said the lone major incident did not spoil the "generally peaceful" celebrations.
Police identified the victim as 45-year-old Cesar Rivero, owner of Rivero Detective Security Agency and was only visiting relatives living in the city.
Rivero was still in critical condition Monday, doctors at the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center said.
The victim together with his wife and children were on the way to their hometown from a shopping mall here.
The family was refueling their Toyota Revo at the Licoan junction when two unidentified men approached Rivero and shot him once in the head.
The assailants then sped in a gray Honda Wave motorcycle into the eastern part of the city.
An investigation is still ongoing to determine the identities of the suspects and their motives.
Despite the incident, City Police Director Aurelio Trampe said Christmas was celebrated peaceful, adding that the shooting was only an "isolated" case.
Trampe also pointed out that there was a noticeable decrease of firecracker-related injuries and zero violation on gun-control imposed among policemen.
Trampe said the police were only able to record two firecracker-related injuries--with government owned Northern Mindanao and J.R. Borja Memorial medical centers each reporting one patient.
Later in the evening, ABS-CBN Northern Mindanao reported five firecracker accidental injuries.
Although still on alert status, police did not upgrade to red alert level and had no plans to do so in the coming days leading to New Year's eve, Trampe said.
This despite ominous threats from communist rebels in the neighboring Misamis Oriental province.
Cagayan de Oro was not among the locations targeted by the New People's Army (NPA) in the region, he said.
But Trampe assured the public that police precincts would remain vigilant.
A four-day truce had been offered by the national government, Trampe said, adding that he was confident it would be reciprocated by the NPA.
At the provincial command, however, the mood was different.
Misamis Oriental Provincial Police Director Lyndel Desquitado said threats from NPA remained high, with last week's intelligence reports indicating that rebels might attack one of their towns.
Rebels are also targeting Gingoog City, one of the province's component cities, Desquitado said.
The rebels earlier admitted they were behind the killing of a Gingoog policeman early this month.
As part of security measures, Desquitado said, he has conducted surprise visits on the western towns of the province where he said threats are imminent.
Amid the government-offered ceasefire, the military's Fourth Infantry Division said it would remain on high-alert.
(December 27, 2005 issue)
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