Editorial: Time to be friendly

(Editorial Cartoon by Roland John Alberto)
(Editorial Cartoon by Roland John Alberto)

THE furor over the incident involving Tejero Barangay Councilor Jessielou Cadungog and his bodyguard/driver that resulted in the death of PO3 Eugene Calumba has simmered down, so it is time for Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and law enforcers to find ways to move on.

This can be done if Osmeña and the police, led by Chief Supt. Debold Sinas in the region and Senior Supt. Royina Garma in the city, share a willingness to cooperate, especially in dealing with the observed spate of killings happening here.

Osmeña has been less critical of Garma than he is of Sinas, so the effort can start in the city. But first, Osmeña has to calm down and not make good his threat for the City Government to stop paying for the maintenance and registration fees of vehicles that City Hall issued to the police. That will only strain further his relationship with the police leadership.

Osmeña’s conflict with the police apparently stems from his belief that the law enforcers, for one reason or another, have not been aggressive in solving the spate of killings that happened in the city and province in the past few months. The attack on Cadungog and the death of Calumba also raised suspicions the police may be behind the killings. The belief and the suspicions still need validation, though.

Which makes wallowing in that matter counter-productive. Instead, Osmeña, Sinas and Garma should talk things out and find common ground in handling the peace and order situation in the city. For Osmeña, this should be done with the understanding that the police can’t just be ordered around like City Hall department heads. They follow a different hierarchy.

Incidentally, Garma and Sinas are relatively new to Cebu and Central Visayas. Which means that Osmeña is essentially still in the getting-to-know-Sinas-and-Garma stage (and vice-versa), and that trust has still to be built. And trust is an important component of what should be consensus-based decision-making.

It is time for Osmeña and the police leadership to open communication lines, mend fences and improve their working relations. Public interest requires it.

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