Tuesday, November 27, 2007 Having no car not an excuse: region chief
ARE Mandaue City policemen using the absence of a service vehicle as an excuse for sloppy police work?
Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna thinks so. Fortuna is head of the City Council’s committee on police, fire and penology.
Fortuna’s comment came as Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) Director Rodel Calungsud ordered the investigation on policemen assigned to the Opao police station for the alleged delay in responding to a stabbing incident last Sunday.
Enrique Carello Torres, 45, from Sitio Uling, Barangay Opao, died before reaching the hospital.
Calungsud is investigating PO3 Manolito Labus, desk officer during the incident, for simple neglect of duty. The offense carries a penalty of at least 10 days suspension without pay.
Calungsud said investigators are also looking into the liabilities of PO2 Vicente Gila and PO1 Rico Senilong, the policemen who went to the crime scene.
Reports said the policemen responded to the incident only hours after being alerted to it.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Ronald Roderos ordered Calungsud to submit an investigation report detailing his actions on the incident.
Roderos said the unavailability of a police vehicle was “never an excuse” because policemen could always walk.
More so, the station was just 30 meters away from where the man was stabbed.
“I want him to impose the maximum penalty on this administrative case. Maulaw ta (We’ll be embarrassed),” Roderos told reporters.
He said that if the area was far, they should have the initiative to use their own vehicles and pay for their own gasoline and ask for reimbursement later.
“Time is of the essence. It was night time already,” he said.
Roderos said all police officers needed to respond to calls for assistance immediately.
Fortuna said the policemen’s failure to assist suffering victims is punishable under provisions of the Revised Penal Code. He said the council will pass a resolution tomorrow asking authorities to look into the matter.
Apart from the news report, Calungsud said he learned of the incident from concerned citizens, whom he did not identify, who reported the matter to him.
More than one suspect reportedly mauled and stabbed Torres in the interior portion of Cabahug St. in Barangay Opao.
PO1 Alvin Etona of the Opao police station told Sun.Star Cebu last night that a colleague estimated the area where the victim was stabbed to be 200 meters from their station, not 30 meters.
Residents alerted the police station, manned that time by Labus, of the stabbing.
Gila said he and Senilong immediately went to the crime scene aboard their own motorcycles after they received the alarm. While on their way, he said they called for the headquarters’ patrol jeep to bring the victim to the city hospital. The jeep came and they rushed Torres to the hospital but he died on the way, he said. (OCP/MEA)
