Friday, June 01, 2007 Cop may lose leg, to continue fight By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ONE wounded man should not dampen the police’s resolve to intensify the anti-drug campaign, the region’s top police official said yesterday.
Pinning a “Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting” on PO2 Joseph Andrin, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. urged the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) to continue in their fight against drugs.
“We should launch operations to capture (the suspect). This should not halt our initiative to hold anti-drug operations,” Alarcio told MCPO Director Alexander Abadinas and Police Station 1 Chief Abraham Ocampo.
Andrin suffered a gunshot wound in the leg after he struggled to keep his firearm away from an angry mob that wanted to free a suspected drug pusher identified only as Tags in Sitio Malibu, Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
He faces the possibility of losing his left leg.
Alarcio told reporters that they will do their best to identify those who ganged up on Andrin and take legal action against them.
He also wants the MCPO to make sure a case is filed against Tags (not Tads, as earlier reported).
Alarcio assured that Andrin’s medical expenses at the Chong Hua Hospital will be taken care of. He also extended P5,000 as cash assistance to Andrin’s wife, on top of the initial P10,000 given.
Abadinas also said that Acting Mandaue City Mayor Amadeo “Ading” Seno Jr. pledged to give an amount while members of the MCPO have chipped in to help him pay for his medicines.
Andrin’s family said that after three days, they already incurred a bill of more than P100,000.
Six bags of blood have been transfused.
Andrin, who graduated from the Regional Trial School in September 1997, has not lost hope.
“Kon tugutan pa sa lawas nga makatrabaho pa ko, padayonon nako ni,” he told reporters. (If my health permits, I will pursue my career.)
However, his future remains uncertain because some of the veins in his leg were cut when the bullet hit him.
Doctors told him that if they fail to reattach the ruptured veins, there’s a possibility that his leg would be amputated.
A father of three, Andrin has participated in countless anti-drug operations. This is the first time he got shot.
If there were any lessons learned in the incident, Abadinas said it was to make sure they call for back-up.
Abadinas explained that Andrin had trouble contacting his colleagues through his cell phone so they were not able to help him immediately.
He has been an intelligence officer of Mandaue’s Station 1 for six years.
Commendations
Two policemen from the Liloan Police Station will also be getting commendations from Acting Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Carmelo Valmoria.
This was after they managed to shoot a fraternity member involved in a shooting incident in Sitio Greenhills, Barangay Poblacion, Liloan Tuesday afternoon.
Archie Mosqueda, 21, is confined at a hospital for a gunshot wound in the leg after PO3 Marlon Irog-irog shot him.
Irog-irog and PO3 Ernesto Pepito were in the area to serve an arrest warrant against a wanted person when the shooting took place.
Mosqueda, a member of Alpha Kappa Rho, reportedly shot Tau Gamma Phi member Alsio Cacong.
He then allegedly shot motorcycle driver Celso Valderrama, 35, for refusing to yield his motorcycle as a getaway vehicle.
Valmoria has ordered the police to submit an after-operation report so he can give a letter of commendation.
Valmoria also plans to recommend to the PRO 7 to award the two policemen with a “Medalya ng Kasanayan.”
