THE conflict between the “former political has-been” and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Royina Garma has become too personal. As what I said in my previous column, the ongoing political campaign has been focused between Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and CCPO instead of BOPK against the opposition Barug PDP Laban. The opposition is just watching in the sidelines as the conflict between the mayor and Garma becomes so intense.
During BOPK’s miting de avance last Sunday at the Cebu City Sports Complex attended by some 25,000 supporters, instead of laying down the party’s platform of government or attacking the opposition, the “former political has-been” took most of his time in lambasting Garma by exposing her previous “shenanigans” as if the police officer is his political rival.
He read a “confidential report” that accused Garma of receiving a weekly “payola” of P1 million from Bohol gambling operators when she was the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 regional officer prior to her assignment as CCPO director. Garma denied the accusation, saying the report was already outdated. Admitting that she was investigated by the DILG because of that allegation, she said she was already cleared. No charges has been filed and no disciplinary action was imposed against her.
Garma also retaliated by accusing the mayor of engaging in illegal gambling. This, after a picture of the mayor together with other gamblers playing poker went viral. Garma was summoned by President Duterte to Malacañang yesterday and she vowed to “spill the beans” about the mayor’s illegal gambling activity. Government officials, especially politicians, are prohibited even in legal gambling casinos, much more with the illegal gambling venues. It was also the President who ordered Garma to file charges against the mayor on the illegal butane canister issue last year. I would like to believe that the President will listen and side with Garma, who had a long stint in Davao City as sub-station commander when Duterte was still the mayor. May pinagsamahan na sila.
Is the city police, especially Garma, really engaged in partisan politics? Do they allow themselves to be used by the political opposition in the city? I don’t think so. The allegations that Garma and even PRO 7 Regional Director Debold Sinas are engaged in partisan politics are purely speculation and unsubstantiated. The accusations that the police are responsible in the strafing incidents targeting BOPK supporters in the mountain barangays are all hearsay. I also received similar information that “unidentified policemen” are the ones harassing the people in the mountain barangays. However, there is no way for us to verify the information.
Like the “former political has-been,” I can only suspect and surmise that it’s the handiwork of the police because the police, especially Garma, are very much lukewarm in conducting an investigation on the numerous complaints of strafing incidents and other form of harassment done to BOPK supporters. Until now, the police have not come up with initial findings about those series of incidents. Well, the words “suspect” and “surmise” are not acceptable as evidence. Mahulog ra na nga tagna-tagna. Pagduda ug suspetsa. Morag weather report sa Pag-asa, bana-bana sa panahon.
If the “former political has-been” and those victims of atrocities have evidence that the police were behind the incidents, then by all means, file the necessary charges. Our prosecution and judiciary are still functioning. Garma is not above the law. But is the BOPK blaming the police to make it appear that they are the underdog and gain and gather sympathy votes? There are even allegations that those were stage-managed strafing incidents just to gain public sympathy.
Using the police for political purposes is not new. This was the same strategy adopted by no less than the “former political has-been” in the previous elections. He won in the mountain barangays because the voters there were intimidated and coerced by his loyalists in the police force. Some of them are already dead and retired while others are still active in the service, but have been assigned to other areas. During those times, he controlled the police and he was allied with the powers-that-be. But now it is different. Bawos-bawos ra man ni. Mao nang gikuyawan na siya karon kay nahibalo na gud siya sa resulta kay iya man ning trabaho kaniadto.