CEBU City Police Office Sr. Supt. Royina Garma ordered the police station chiefs to monitor armed groups that were reportedly seen in eight mountain barangays in the city.
Col. Garma said they received information that the armed groups are backed by politicians. That is why they move around easily without fear of being arrested.
Last week, the police conducted anti-criminality operations targeting armed men, among others, resulting in the death of two tanods of Barangay Lusaran.
They were reportedly members of an armed group.
“There are armed groups here and we believe that they were the same groups used by some politicians in the (barangay) election last year. Some of their members are still here,” said Garma.
The CCPO has not identified critical areas in the city in relation to the election this May.
But if armed groups continue to operate in the upland areas, Garma said she may recommend to classify the eight barangays under the orange category.
She did not name the villages as these are still being monitored by the Cebu City Mobile Force Company.
For his part, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, the Police Regional Office 7 director, said he will just wait for the CCPO director’s recommendation to raise the villages to orange category or not. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, LRC)