Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Do Talisay cops deserve award?
THE Talisay City Council deferred approval yesterday of a resolution to commend Police Chief Romeo Perigo and his men for the swift arrest of the suspects in the grisly killing of two women last month.
Council members want to find out whether the police officers deserve commendation when the kin of the victims complained that the Talisay City Police Office never acted on their call for assistance.
Reports said relatives of victims Eva Mae Peligro and Gwendolyn Balasta sought the help instead of the Minglanilla Police Station after Talisay police merely recorded their complaint in the blotter.
The relatives became wary because they could no longer find or contact the victims, who both lived with main suspect Richard Gudelosao in Azienda Firenze, a posh subdivision in Talisay City.
Talisay City Vice Mayor Lani Abarquez said the council needs to “give credit where it is due.”
Councilor Arturo Bas submitted separate proposals to commend the Talisay City police, Minglanilla police force and the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office for solving the crime and filing the case against the suspects.
Gudelosao and Joseph Roy Cellar admitted they strangled Peligro and Balasta and chopped up their bodies before dumping these in the hilly villages of Minglanilla, Toledo and the City of Naga.
Questioned
Like Abarquez, majority bloc Councilors Ben Abatayo and Osmundo Manreal Jr., both allies of Bas, also questioned whether it was proper to commend Peligro and his men for the case.
They said only Minglanilla policemen were honored during the flag-raising rites at the Police Regional Office 7 in Cebu City last Monday for solving the murder case.
Minglanilla Police Chief Romeo Santander and five others - SPO1 Proculo Ando Jr., PO3 Allen Garciano, PO3 Roland Camello, PO2 Avelino Selloria and PO1 Rodulfo Quilala Jr. were awarded with the Medalya ng Kasanayan at PRO 7.
Councilor Alan Bucao, meanwhile, suggested that the approval of the resolution be deferred pending the outcome of the probe on the alleged lapse of the Talisay police.
Bucao said he found it insulting on the part of the Talisay PNP to commend its Minglanilla counterparts when the Cebu Provincial Police Office has still to wrap up its inquiry.
Bas insisted that his resolution be approved, saying he already talked to Perigo about the reported inaction of the police.
He quoted the police chief as saying that there was only a miscommunication in the incident and that the matter has already been settled.
But Abarquez took exception to Bas’ statements that his proposal was merely a simple resolution of commendation of policemen.
“Let’s be sure first if they really deserve the commendation because there is a cloud of doubt here. This will be part of the merit of their promotion,” she said.
After a lengthy discussion, Bas decided to defer the approval of his resolution and moved instead for Perigo to appear in the City Council’s session next week. (GC)
