Monday, May 19, 2008 ‘We cannot rely on vigilantes’ By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SINCE December 2004, when the summary executions of suspected or previously convicted lawbreakers began, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has listed 181 victims.
Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, who started serving as the CCPO director in January last year, faces the challenges not only of managing an office that lacks personnel and resources, but also of solving the summary executions and gang-related killings and robberies.
For nearly eight months, the police force had a measure of peace. The last recorded vigilante-style attack took place on Sept. 28, 2007.
Last week, the lull ended. An ambush in Barangay Kalunasan left three suspected swindlers dead and a retired official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines injured. Vigilante involvement is one of the angles investigators are checking.
Plugged spoke with Comendador to listen to his sentiments and stand about the matter, as well as his vision for the city’s police force.
How do you feel about allegations that police operatives are behind the extra-judicial killings in Cebu City?
I always feel sad when people tag us this way, especially the people whom we believe should be responsible enough to appreciate the facts. I read last week the interview with the IBP Cebu City Chapter president, who believes that the police are not involved in these killings. From a police officer’s point of view, these little things are very important to us, and we are very glad. Ultimately, what I feel is not very important but the perception of the public who ought to feel secure in their homes and while they saunter on the streets free from criminals.
How do you feel about Cebu City being tagged as a “crime city”?
I would like to qualify that statement first. I believe that when Cebu City was tagged as such, it was before I assumed as city director. With a very dramatic drop in crime volume, particularly in index crimes (43 percent decrease), such perception may no longer be true. Obviously, we’ve seen an abatement of the so-called “V” killings and the Cebu City police is doing its best to maintain this momentum.
I may sound self-serving, but crime statistics, aside from other research tools, is the only objective measurement of the real score of the peace and order condition in the city. Had it been the other way around, I would, of course, feel an utter sense of helplessness, from not being able to contribute something, especially in making the lives of the people in the city comfortable in my own little way. This is one of my purposes in life and I intend to pursue it.
What are your views on vigilantism?
I have come to realize that despite modernization, there will always be episodes in our society when individuals take the law into their own hands. Just like natural calamities, these may occur as some sort of equalizer adjusting to the demands of time. But this realization is entirely different from my viewpoint. I am a man of peace and I believe in the rule of law. Life is precious. Great nations with mature democracies have become what they are now because of their firm adherence to judicial processes. Let’s keep it that way.
On the other hand, the criminal justice system should work effectively so that people will have confidence in the system and will no longer enforce retribution as a form of attaining justice. People ought to know that it is not only the police who are involved in our criminal justice system, but that it also includes the prosecutors, the courts, the jails and the community. These should all work as well in order that justice is done.
Do you see vigilante killings as a sign of a breakdown in law and order?
Vigilantism has always been relevant to the conditions of tranquility. It’s not really a sign of a breakdown in law and order but a manifestation of the inadequacy of the criminal justice system, where some people perceive that they aren’t getting justice. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “True peace is not just the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” If you just take a glimpse of the people drinking at coffee shops late at night and foreigners roaming around, you’ll see a peaceful and vibrant city comparable to standards. One should see the blue horizon and not just a cloud to appreciate these things.
There were fewer cases of extra-judicial killings during the start of your term. To what would you attribute this?
There’s really no accurate way of attributing these things to any particular condition. The extra-judicial killings, especially vigilantism, are always relevant to the peace and order condition in a given place. When I assumed command, I set a vision for the Cebu City police to become “one great force.” Behind those three words are a lot of things to be done. Nevertheless, we have given focus to our comprehensive deployment of our forces to lessen the opportunity to commit crime in the criminal equation.
In the same manner, our sights are set on improving our crime solution efficiency to dampen the desire of criminals to carry out their plans. Portrayal of police confidence and ability to catch them will always have a corresponding effect on their intent to perpetrate crimes.
Going by a significant decline of crimes since 2007 until today, I can only surmise that police action and presence of justice will always be germane to the extra-judicial killings of suspected criminals.
Would you credit vigilantism for any decrease or increase in crime statistics?
Again, there’s no empirical way to gauge these things. However, as I’ve pointed out earlier, it is always closely related to the crime statistics, police action and presence of justice. It may have a temporary effect on criminality, especially during the initial stages, but once the bodies pile up, it will add up to your crime volume and lower your crime solution efficiency. Once this happens, the police force will be in a very uncomfortable position. The police must do its job: Do it right and not merely rely on the vigilantes to (make an) impact on the peace and order condition in the city.
This, we intend to do.
If a vigilante is caught and turns out to be a policeman, what would you do?
Then there’s not much we can do but turn him in just like any other criminal. Nobody is above the law and as a police officer, he should be the first one to know that. It will be a sad day when this happens. I’m quite sure that a lot of people will be disappointed, while others will rejoice, albeit in secrecy. I just hope that this won’t happen in this city because I have always believed that the police officers in Cebu City are dedicated, professional and capable to see to it that citizens shall sleep soundly at night, confident that their police are there, ever ready to serve and keep them from harm’s way.
