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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Rama bucks team
By Linette C. Ramos & Grecar Nilles
Sun.Star Staff Reporters
…I don’t want to clash with the mayor.
It (Hunter Team) is his prerogative. But we also have duties and responsibilities asPCAC. We have to advocate (for) the rule of law, not the rule of man.
—Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama
Cebu City officials are divided on the killing of suspected robbers, with Vice Mayor Michael Rama and a city councilor calling for an end to the shooting.
Rama, chairman of the Cebu City Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC), said he is opposed to the concept of the hunter team because some individuals take the law into their own hands.
“I’m not part of their hunter team, it was not even discussed at the PCAC level. I don’t want to clash with the mayor, it is his prerogative, but we also have duties and responsibilities as PCAC.
We have to advocate the rule of law, not the rule of man,” Rama, a lawyer, told a news conference.
In a separate interview, Councilor Procopio Fernandez said he also does not agree with the way suspected robbers are being neutralized.
He asked whoever is behind the series of shooting incidents to put an end to their activities, adding that even suspected criminals are entitled to due process.
“If they commit a crime, then let’s bring them to court and punish them accordingly,” said Fernandez, a lawyer and chairman of the council’s committee on police.
For his part, Councilor Gerardo Carillo said that while he does not really favor the fatal shooting of suspected criminals, he is also not totally against it.
“I hold the same frustrations of the people, that police do not respond to the call of times. I cannot blame people who take the law into their own hands because some pillars of justice are not functional. It makes people lose their trust,” he said.
Alarmed
Carillo, who is also a lawyer, then criticized the police for not doing anything to apprehend robbers, prompting concerned citizens to do it for them.
But Rama, alarmed over the fatal shootings, said this only shows the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) “is useless.”
“How will I call for an end to this shooting when there are no culprits? That’s why I’m telling the police, do your job so no one else will do your job for you,” he added.
He then ordered Acting CCPO Chief Melvin Gayotin yesterday to immediately track down those responsible.
“Should we wait until one of us becomes the victim?” he said.
Police’s work?
Lawyer Democrito Barcenas believes that if the police cannot solve the series of killings, then the police themselves could have something to do with it.
Barcenas, head of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Cebu City chapter, believes a lot of suspected criminals have been fatally shot because of the bounty promised by Mayor Tomas Osmeña to anyone who can kill or disable a criminal.
“Although the police has denied involvement in the killing, we can suspect that they have something to do with this because no one has been charged for the series of killings. It seems that the police are not so serious in going after those responsible for the spate of extra-judicial killings,” Barcenas said.
IBP-Cebu chapter president Manuel Monzon also reiterated his position that summarily executing suspected criminals should not be condoned in a civilized society and is not the answer to the rising cases of crime.
Both lawyers still believe that suspected criminals should be afforded their day in court, presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.
“The present situation still manifests a breakdown of the law and order,” Barcenas said.
Barcenas added that summary executions are “unfair” to poor criminals because they have become the sole targets, while those corrupt government officials who have amassed several millions remain free and unharmed.
“If this is the case, they (corrupt government officials) should be shot also,” Barcenas said.
(December 30, 2004 issue)
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