Sunday, September 30, 2007 Policeman shot, survives By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A POLICEMAN who was entertaining a complainant was shot in front of his house in Tudela, Camotes Island Friday night.
PO3 Ismael Florentino, 36, suffered gunshot wounds in the left side of his chest and right leg, but he managed to crawl back to his house to retrieve his firearm.
When he came out, his assailant was nowhere in sight.
His colleagues later had him transferred to a private hospital in Cebu City.
Before the shooting, Florentino was visited by one Odon Garciano, who lodged a complaint against a certain Analyn Cebios.
Garciano and Cebios have been at odds over a parcel of land.
Earlier that day, Cebios hired a surveyor because she wanted to place a marker in the property she owned.
Florentino is the designated investigator of the dispute. Garciano went to his house that night to say that he was not satisfied with the results and wanted to hire his own surveyor.
Garciano was leaving and Florentino led him out to the gate when a lone gunman fired at Florentino.
The policeman dropped to the ground. Although wounded, he ran to his house which was some 15 meters away from the gate.
Responding police officers recovered five deformed slugs and five empty shells fired from a .45 pistol at the crime scene.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria has ordered Tudela Police Chief Ramon Ortiz to expedite the investigation. He also requested Supt. Erson Digal, deputy provincial director for operations, to assist Florentino at the hospital.
Though Florentino was off-duty at the time of the incident, Valmoria said the shooting was clearly job-related.
Florentino underwent an operation yesterday and is reportedly out of danger but is still feeling weak.
Five police recruits were able to donate blood for the operation.
Valmoria’s immediate concern is to help Florentino with the hospital bills and immediate expenses.
Digal, who spoke with Florentino, said the latter could recognize his assailant.
The gunman reportedly did not wear a cloth mask and relied on the darkness to conceal his identity.
Senior Insp. Ortiz, in a separate interview, said they were looking into the land dispute as a motive for the shooting.
Apart from that, Ortiz also wants to find out if there are other motives. He explained that being a policeman, Florentino was bound to disappoint some parties with arrests and other police operations.
Asked to describe Florentino, Ortiz said the latter has no derogatory records and has been an investigator at the police station for a long time.
He has invited Garciano, Cebios and two other persons to his office to shed light on the case.
Ortiz also wants to find out of the gunman had any accomplices, although Florentino only saw one person.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who was in Camotes Island for the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo tour, said she would ask Marivic Garces of the Provincial Social Welfare Development office to check on Florentino’s condition.
“We will help him,” Garcia said.
Watchlist
Also, in Barili town, a policeman escaped several attempts to shoot him.
PO2 Michael Cortes was at the market in Barangay Mantalongon when Randy Adlawan, 43, allegedly called him.
As Cortes turned around, Adlawan allegedly shot him from behind.
Adlawan missed his target despite firing several times. He managed to run.
A report submitted to the CPPO stated that Adlawan was being targeted for a buy-bust and that he is on the police station’s watchlist of suspected drug personalities. (MEA)
