Tuesday, May 06, 2008 Carcar policeman gets death threats
Aside from the praises heaped on the policemen who foiled a bank robbery in Carcar City last April 28, at least one of them has to contend with a threat to his life.
SPO1 Meliton Agadier Jr. said that a day after the Rural Bank of Cebu South incident, members of the barangay intelligence network informed him that four people aboard a car were asking around where he lived.
They were even bringing a notebook and a pen.
Residents, however, failed to write down the plate number of the vehicle as the four men immediately sped away.
Agadier, SPO1 Kenneth Abella, PO3 Irving Avila and PO3 Rolando Gantuangco were awarded the Medalya ng Kagalingan at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 yesterday morning.
Awards
Each of the four also received from Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia a plaque and P10,000 during a separate awarding ceremony at the Capitol Social Hall.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, PRO 7 Director Ronald Roderos and Carcar City officials were present during the ceremony.
The Provincial Board also approved two resolutions commending the heroism of the policemen, most of them from Carcar City, who responded to the robbery alarm.
Agadier and Abella were first to arrive at the vicinity of the bank followed by Gantuangco and Avila. They shot it out with the two suspected robbers.
Killed was Nelson Gutierrez Jr. His companion, Ricoly Igoy, was wounded.
Agadier said the threat to his life was not surprising because he is dealing with a robbery group whose members want to either demoralize him or harass him or avenge the death of Gutierrez.
He has told his family to be careful and to refrain from talking with strangers.
On alert
Carcar City Police Chief Teofilo Siclot said they have been on alert following the incident because of the possibility some of them could be targets.
They are also securing Igoy, who is now detained at the Carcar City Jail, from attempts by other robbery gang members to rescue him or to finish him off so he won’t
reveal to the authorities what he knows.
The medals were presented to the four by Roderos and by the guest of honor and speaker, Chief Supt. Constante Azares Jr., who heads the National Operations Center in Camp Crame.
Abella told reporters they were grateful to their superiors for acknowledging their efforts.
Medals, he said, boost a police officer’s morale and encourage him to work hard.
“Public confidence has been regained… They chose to walk the extra mile,” the governor said after the Capitol awarding rite.
Valmoria attributed the success of his men to the active participation of the community and police authorities in combating crime.
Roderos thanked Garcia for providing them with logistical support and confirmed that Agadier will get his promotion soon.
In his speech, Agadier urged his fellow policemen to be true to their commitment to serve and protect the community. (MEA/GMD)
