Friday, October 05, 2007 2 officials seek witnesses’ help
ENDING the vigilante-style killings must be a concerted effort not only of the police but also others in the five pillars of the criminal justice system, according to two officials from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador said that even before PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. issued his order to stop summary executions, the CCPO has been doing its best to unmask the perpetrators.
“Naninguha ta nga masulbad. We have requested for the cross-matching of evidence. We made one case folder for every incident so that nobody can tell us that we are not doing our jobs,” he said.
Since December 2004, at least 181 people, mostly with criminal records, were shot in Cebu City by motorcycle-riding men whose faces were covered.
Comendador, however, lamented that the witnesses and the surviving victims do not cooperate with the investigation.
Homicide Section Chief Mario Monilar, in a separate interview, said they sent subpoenas to people they believe could help identify the perpetrators.
Their invitations were ignored. Failure of the witnesses and survivors to help is the major stumbling block in their effort to solve the killings.
Monilar said results from the cross-matching of empty shells and slugs showed that these came from guns of similar caliber, but they could not trace the owners.
The law against unlicensed gun holders is lenient, Monilar said, and stricter penalties should be imposed against holders of unlicensed firearms.
For Comendador, penalties imposed by the courts on lawbreakers are also minimal.
He said the Cebu City jail released an average of nine robbers per week.
Comendador said solving the killings is not an easy task, but that the CCPO will double its efforts. (JST)
