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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Nalzaro: Mulcters in lapu-lapu
By Bobby Nalzaro
I received an email from an employee of the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) 1 in Lapu-Lapu City, who requested to withhold his name. He was complaining about the rampant ‘tong collection’ in various jeepney routes in the city.
The complainant said there are several groups of tong collectors that are mulcting on jeepney drivers near MEZ compound, Marina Mall and the Gaisano Department store. Sadly, he added, the traffic personnel assigned in these areas are just playing blind to the nefarious activities of these tong collectors.
The letter-writer suspects that these tong collectors are protected by some influential persons or authorities in the city because they are bold enough to extort money from jeepney drivers and conductors. Well, tong collection has been a perennial problem even in Cebu City. Tong collectors just positioned themselves in loading and unloading areas pretending to be jeepney barkers.
And whether they convinced passengers to ride in jeepneys or not, they would demand money from drivers. Tong collectors continued their illegal activities because drivers and conductors also allowed themselves to be victimized by these people, most of whom have criminal records and are known toughies. And since this is a police problem, I am calling the attention of Lapu-Lapu City Police Director Supt. Louie Oppus to go after those tong collectors in his area of responsibility.
***
I beg to disagree on the theory of our Muslim leaders that the two alleged members of the Rajah Solaiman Group, who were killed during an encounter with our local police, were victims of salvaging or summary execution. While salvaging is a common modus operandi of our police authorities in eliminating criminal elements through extra judicial means, the police will not do it without any apparent reason. Most of the salvage victims were underworld police characters.
Our police authorities and the Muslim community in the city have yet to ascertain the real identities of the alleged terrorists, whose bodies remained unclaimed at a local funeral parlor. There were witnesses who can pinpoint that the duo planted the box containing explosives found at the gate of the SM City Mall. Had those alleged terrorists surrendered to the authorities peacefully following a brief chase, they could have not suffered their fate. If I had my way, I want them captured alive so that the police can extract information from them. But the allegation of salvaging is worth looking into as there are many ways to skin a cat.
(bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 17, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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