Wednesday, March 21, 2006
Mandaue cop slain in Lapu-Lapu City
CEBU CITY -- A Mandaue City policeman was shot dead in front of two colleagues and a police asset during a bungled drug operation in Barangay Mactan Lapu-Lapu City Sunday night.
The subject of the operation shot PO3 Jose Bob Zambo Desamparado, 34, in the left side of his chest, at close range, and ran off with two companions.
Lapu-Lapu City police later caught suspected gunman Carl Rasid Villacin, 28, in a hot pursuit. He was also caught with an unlicensed .38 revolver and five sachets of suspected shabu.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Chief Louie Oppus ordered the arrest of Mandaue policemen PO2 Jackson Bacaron Rivera and PO2 Darius Panogaling Conejos, along with civilian asset Henry Señara, for carrying guns without proper mission orders to operate outside their jurisdiction.
The incident irked Oppus, because the Mandaue City operatives conducted a drug surveillance in Sitio Soong, Barangay Mactan without informing his office, risking a possible misencounter with Lapu-Lapu police.
He said somebody wanted to destroy the Lapu-Lapu City police force's image, hinting that higher-ranking officers were behind the operation.
Mandaue City Police Chief Eduardo Catabas refused to comment on the legitimacy of the operation, saying he is still waiting for official reports on the matter.
Catabas has directed Inspector Ramon Villar to investigate the "administrative aspect" of the incident, since the shooting did not happen in Mandaue City.
Rivera, Conejos and Señara, who are detained in the Lapu-Lapu police stockade, will face illegal possession of firearms charges. Villacin will be charged with murder.
Sun.Star Cebu pressed the Mandaue City policemen for details but they declined to comment.
Sketchy reports said Desamparado, Rivera, and Conejos, along with Señara, were conducting a drug surveillance in the area at 10:35 p.m. last Sunday, but the operation "had gone sour" when the two groups got close.
Señara, who was at arms-length from the suspect and victim, said he saw Villacin shoot Desamparado in the left chest, point blank.
Villacin and his two unidentified companions fled, but Lapu-Lapu City Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team arrested Villacin during a follow-up operation.
His companions remain at-large.
The Swat team headed by Police Officer 3 Andres Arche III also brought the two Mandaue policemen to the Lapu-Lapu police station.
When Oppus asked them to present papers authorizing the operation, the two Mandaue policemen failed to present any patrol or mission order.
Lapu-Lapu police arrested the two and confiscated their loaded .38 revolvers.
Villacin's revolver and the victim's 9mm pistol were submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory for examination.
The incident could have turned for the worse, with a mis-encounter between Oppus' men and the Mandaue City operatives.
Had there been a mis-encounter, the whole PNP organization would be put in a bad light, said Oppus.
Oppus received reports that the three policemen were into a "shady operation" in the area, but he has yet to verify this.
"Naay gusto moguba sa among image (Somebody wants to destroy our image)," said Oppus, stressing that he was not informed of the operation and no coordination was made, even if they had the chance to do so as a matter of courtesy and precaution.
Oppus cannot believe that the three policemen already knew how to do such surveillance without someone higher in rank and experience directing them what to do. (OCP/With ROV/Sun.Star Cebu)
(March 21, 2006 issue)
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