Monday, November 03, 2008
3 hurt in Danao City shootout; PRO 7 director says police visibility paid off
A SHOOTOUT between a policeman and two armed men inside a Danao City cemetery left three persons injured yesterday.
The incident, along with the arrest of armed persons in other areas of Cebu, marred an otherwise peaceful observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day over the weekend.
Benjie G. Cabrera, 33, was arrested inside the Compostela public cemetery in Barangay Cogon after he yielded different number combinations of an illegal gambling game.
Overall, however, the police said the weekend could be considered as generally peaceful.
Supt. Erson Digal, Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) deputy director for operations, said that except for the Danao incident, Cebu Province was peaceful.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos also said there was no major incident in the entire Central Visayas region.
He said the arrest of a few people in cemeteries for different violations only meant that security measures that the police, support agencies, and civilian volunteers implemented were effective.
“The good thing there is the police visibility—that our people are on the ground (to secure the cemeteries),” he said.
And except for people arrested for drunkenness and few reports of illegal cockfights, particularly in Barangay Guadalupe,
last Saturday and Sunday’s occasions were likewise uneventful said Supt. Pablo Labra II, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) deputy director for operations.
In the Danao City incident, PO3 Rochelle Arquiza, together with Barangay Taytay tanods, were monitoring the barangay cemetery when a burst of gunfire rang out around 1:55 a.m. yesterday.
Arquiza is assigned with the Regional Intelligence Office (RIO) of the PRO 7.
Investigation by a team, led by SPO2 Ramir Oliverio from the Danao Police Station, showed that Arquiza and the tanods rushed to the source of the sound and met an armed man later identified as Marc Juda B. Ramonida.
Ramonida, 24, who resides in Taytay, allegedly fired at Arquiza, prompting the policeman to shoot back.
Stray bullet
Ramonida was hit in the right portion of his body, and was rushed to the Danao City District Hospital.
Moments later, gunfire allegedly reverberated, this time from the firearm of Junriel Bentoy, 19, a resident of Barangay Tabok Kamalig Bato, Danao.
Arquiza spotted Bentoy and ordered him to surrender.
Instead of heeding the officer, Bentoy allegedly fired his gun, resulting to a gunshot wound in his abdomen, with the bullet slug exiting his back.
Jonas L. Somera, 19, a fourth year high school student, was also injured after a stray bullet hit his right foot. He was treated at the Danao City District Hospital.
Both Ramonida and Bentoy were transferred to a Cebu City hospital for further treatment.
Arquiza turned over to responding Danao City policemen a Colt .45 pistol with six bullets in the magazine that was allegedly confiscated from Ramonida.
Oliverio’s team also recovered from the crime scene a .357 revolver with three caliber .38 bullet shells in the cylinder.
In Sitio Bolinawan, Carcar City, a police team led by SP02 Aurelio Luzano arrested Melchor F. Larumbe, 32, in front of the Catholic cemetery after he was found in possession of a 14-inch knife past 9 p.m. Saturday.
Larumbe, who was allegedly drunk, reportedly resisted when the policemen arrested him.
Armed
In the Barangay Bato, Toledo City cemetery, police arrested Feliciano O. Dequiñon, 64, a native of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental but currently residing in the barangay, after he yielded a firearm.
SPO1 Revelito Tadique and PO3 Elbert Dolino caught him with a homemade .38 revolver loaded with four bullets and two spent shells.
Meanwhile, security was tight at the entrance and the premises of three cemeteries in Lapu-Lapu City, which did not have any untoward incidents during the two-day observance.
But families had to spend more for electrical connections at the cemeteries since the cost of the service increased to P200 from P150 last year.
SPO2 Nicanor Bacayo of the Lapu-Lapu City Police said since 8 p.m. Saturday until 6 p.m. last night, he has not received
any complaints.
Violations are usually reported during the night, but Association of Barangay Council (ABC) President Leo Mercado said the more than 100 policemen, barangay tanods and medical personnel detailed in the cemeteries in Barangays Gun-ob, Poblacion and Mactan were more than enough to ensure the safety of the public.
“Very peaceful gyud and this is because of the dedication of our barangay officials. We have discussed the security measures a week before Saturday and everything was properly done,” he said.
Heightened security alert was expected until midnight, with mobile cars of the miscellaneous police teams and the Special Weapons and Tactics patrolling the City streets and the cemeteries in the three barangays. (JTG/AIV)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (November 3, 2008 issue)
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