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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Reports on robberies highly speculative, says Tomas
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña disagrees with fielding secret marshals to passenger jeepneys and believes that recent robberies aren’t reason enough for Cebuanos to be alarmed.
“We don’t have enough policemen to go around riding jeepneys. You will just be pulling out men from another area of concern,” he said.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has about 900 operatives, for a population placed at around 774,000 in 2002.
For the moment, the mayor said, it is “highly speculative” that there is a trend, or that robberies are indeed on the rise.
But also yesterday morning, CCPO Acting Director Melvin Gayotin and Nagkahi-usang Drayber sa Sugbo (Nadsu) chairman Anthony Pogado met with City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem and discussed how to effectively adopt the plan.
No secret
Pogado wanted to know the PNP’s strategies in fielding secret marshals, so passengers can be kept away from harm.
“They are meeting with (Police Regional Office 7) Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. to iron out operational requirements,” Jakosalem said.
He said that it was agreed an information campaign will be launched on the importance of the emergency blue light atop each public utility vehicle, like jeepneys and taxis.
PUJs and taxis in the city are equipped with a blue bulb that drivers could switch on in case robbers attack them or their passengers.
Those who see the light are supposed to inform the authorities immediately.
But rookie police personnel who are in Cebu City for field duties and to help secure the Asean summit do not know of the blue light and must be briefed about it, Jakosalem added.
For his part, Vice Mayor Michael Rama said the PNP should have kept their plan to field secret marshals “secret.”
Results
Now that they’ve made it public, more pressure is on the police to show results.
“They have to produce results. Kay ila na man ng gisulti, ila nang barogan,” Rama said.
The secret marshals who will be fielded in public utility vehicles in Metro Cebu have to be those who have already been through specialized training for close combat.
Senior Supt. Vicente Loot said they could not just pick anybody from the ranks or else robbers would only overpower them.
Asked about concerns that the marshals might commit abuses in trying to neutralize suspected robbers, Loot does not believe this will happen.
“Scenarios happen spontaneously. We cannot create scenarios, it would be too obvious,” Loot assured.
He said, though, that if any shooting occurs, it is because a policeman is taught to react to preserve his own life and that of others nearby.
“Police will not shoot unless his or someone else’s life is threatened,” he told Sun.Star Cebu. He added that sometimes hitting an armed person in the leg can still enable him to fire a gun.
Caution
Firing warning shots might also hit innocent passersby.
He explained that if a robber is armed and is poised to fight back, police officers will have no choice but to shoot him first, in case the robber, who is not trained, might fire and hit civilians nearby.
Loot has prioritized the police stations from Lapu-Lapu City to Danao City in the north and Talisay City to Carcar town in the south.
As for Pogado’s proposal, Loot is apprehensive this might defeat the purpose of the secret marshals.
Pogado earlier asked that the police coordinate with the jeepney operators or discreetly identify themselves to the driver so they can arrange to get free rides.
He said they could not discount the possibility that some drivers might be in cahoots with some robbers.
Loot said they have a different time for deploying the secret marshals from Cebu City, but declined to say what time so that robbers will not preempt their plans. (RHM/MEA)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 19, 2006 issue)
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