Friday, January 12, 2007 Checkpoints clog traffic By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
INTENSIFIED checkpoints throughout the province have earned the ire of motorists and commuters from the south, who were late for work because of the heavy traffic.
A policeman was one of those who tried to evade the checkpoint and nearly ran over an officer of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) 7 in Barangay Bahay, Sibonga last Tuesday.
Three men on a motorcycle were also injured Wednesday night when their vehicle slipped as they accelerated to avoid the checkpoint in San Fernando town.
Police stations have been ordered to hold random checkpoints to ensure criminals are arrested before arriving in Metro Cebu, where the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit is being held until Monday.
Yesterday, the towns of Naga and Minglanilla and the cities of Talisay and Cebu conducted checkpoints on vehicles headed for Cebu City.
Policemen and military personnel have also been ordered to be on the lookout for members of militant groups who may be bringing streamers and placards to the city for their protests.
Southern police stations were swamped with complaints through the text hotlines and their phone lines, as workers and students waiting to get to the city were holed up in traffic yesterday.
They complained that the inspection of vehicles took too long because the passengers of public vehicles were asked to get off while their belongings were checked.
Apart from the Asean summit, police stations have been further ordered to conduct checkpoints and roadblocks in strategic locations after three bomb explosions rocked Cotabato, General Santos and Kidapawan in Mindanao last Wednesday night.
The Police Regional Office directed all units yesterday to intensify internal security operations in close coordination with their counterparts in the Armed Forces and to initiate immediate counter measures.
“To allay the fear of our people and maintain calm and sobriety amidst the situation, you are directed to immediately provide maximum police visibility in areas of convergence like public places, malls, churches and land, sea and air terminals,” a memorandum read.
In Sibonga town, a team led by Insp. Rene Yongco conducted a checkpoint along the highway in Barangay Bahay at 10:15 a.m. last Tuesday.
Suddenly, a blue Kia Pride speeded up as officers of the RMG 7 waved their arms, cautioning the driver to stop.
They were 10 meters away from the signboard when some members of the team tried to stop the driver.
Instead, the car continued and headed straight for Yongco, leaving him no choice but to run.
Yongco immediately contacted the police stations leading to Cebu City and told them to block the blue Kia Pride with plate number GRL 603.
At about 10:40 a.m., members of the Minglanilla Police Station contacted the RMG 7 and informed them that the car was intercepted and that the driver was identified.
The driver turned out to be PO1 Edilberto Timagos, assigned at the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch (PIIB).
A team from the RMG 7 proceeded to Minglanilla to check if he was the same one that tried to run over their team leader. But when they arrived, Minglanilla Police already released him because he told them he was a policeman.
Another pursuit ensued but when they reached Cebu City, he was nowhere to be found. They decided to end the pursuit by 12:30 p.m.
Timagos was not at the PIIB office when Sun.Star Cebu went to get his side.
In San Fernando town, Arvin Cahayag, 21, was reportedly driving under the influence of liquor when he drove past a group of policemen led by Senior Insp. Antonieto Cuyos conducting a checkpoint in Barangay Pitalo.
The policemen placed a sign at the middle of the highway and waved their hands and blew their whistles to get Cahayag to stop.
Instead, he drove faster.
But because it was raining, the roads were slick and the motorcycle slipped. The wheels landed on a gutter and the motorcycle fell on its side.
Aside from Cahayag, his passengers Galileo Genayas, 19, and Catalino Cañete fell and suffered injuries. Policemen took them to a hospital for treatment.
