Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Crame to 2 station chiefs: Explain
POLICE station chiefs of Sogod and Daanbantayan towns in northern Cebu are asked to explain why they failed to submit reports on the fire incidents that occurred in their territories over the weekend.
Chief Insp. Elmer Lim, operations section chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), said the orders were issued after Camp Crame, through the Regional Operations and Planning Division (ROPD), asked for the reports about the two incidents which left five people dead.
In an interview with reporters yesterday, Lim said Daanbatayan Police Station Chief Jovito Canlapan and Sogod Police Station Chief Ramon Lacno have given their initial explanations but these were unsatisfactory.
In Daanbantayan, Nicolas Baterna, 74, and his wife Leona, 64, and their granddaughters Jasmine, 3, and Cristina Ibot, 1, died when their house made of light materials was razed by fire Saturday night.
Kerosene lamp
The fire may have been caused by a kerosene lamp because the couple never had electricity in their house.
The town’s police station, however, submitted a report on this only after Lim called them up.
Lim explained that Camp Crame called up the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 about the incident, but a report from the police station was not available.
Quoting initial information relayed to him, Lim said the Daanbantayan Police Station did not conduct an investigation on the matter because it is the responsibility of the Bureau of Fire Protection.
But he said this action was improper for the police, considering that there were fatalities.
Lim reminded the police that such incident should be given enough attention and that investigation should be made.
On the Sogod incident, a barrel of gasoline caught fire, killing 15-year-old Junel Songahid, whose father and six-year-old brother were injured.
No communication
Like Daanbantayan, the Sogod Police Station also failed to submit a report immediately.
Sogod police explained that they do not have any means of communication to relay the report to the provincial headquarters.
Their telephone line was cut off, the radio communication was unserviceable and the cellular phone used for text hotline has no load.
Reporters covering the CPPO who tried calling the text hotline during the incident also failed get through because the cellular phone was off.
He said the station chief should not have relied on the equipment at the station but should have taken other initiative,
like using his personal phone, to inform the provincial headquarters.
Lim also said that the cellular phone used for text hotline should never be turned off. (JST)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 29, 2007 issue)
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