A PERFECT 10.
This was the rating given by Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Debold Sinas on the performance of outgoing Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Royina Garma, who opted for early retirement to head the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
However, several killings happened under Garma’s watch and many cases remain unsolved.
These include the massacre of five men in Barangay Malubog, and the murders of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officer Baby “Earl” Rallos, former Cebu City assistant prosecutor Mary Ann Castro and P/Capt. Delfin Bontuyan, a former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 officer.
A drug bust by Carbon Police Station operatives also led to the death of four-year-old Bladen Skyler Abatayo on July 10, 2018.
Garma defended her personnel, saying her personnel tried to save the boy’s life. But the National Bureau of Investigation said the stray bullet came from a police officer and it charged three officers involved in the operation.
From Garma’s first day as CCPO chief on July 1, 2018 until June 24, 2019, the anti-narcotics personnel seized 89.9 kilos of shabu worth P691.4 million, a Dangerous Drugs Board value.
The police official’s biggest accomplishment in a single operation happened last March 14 in Barangay Inayawan—18 kilos of shabu were confiscated.
“Actually, these drugs were not intended for Cebu City alone. Some of it were for other cities. It just so happened that it passed by Cebu City, and we were able to filter it,” Garma said.
During her time, around 3,000 illegal drug operations were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 2,134 drug users and 2,054 drug pushers, and the deaths of nine persons.
The fatalities reportedly resisted arrest before they got killed in the police operations. Six of them were tagged as pushers, while three were users.
In her one-year stint at the CCPO, Garma failed to escape controversies, underscored by the “sour” relationship she had with then Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña, who posted on his Facebook page criticisms against her, accusing her of being “part of the problem” of criminality in the city.
During the campaign period for the May 13 midterm elections, Osmeña accused the police of dipping their hands in politics by “harassing” his allies: barangay and youth council officials.
Garma’s successor now has to deal with unsolved cases.
For her part, Garma said she fulfilled her duties, adding that the CCPO can stand on its own without her guidance.
“I think I have done what I was supposed to do in Cebu City and, although it was not achieved 100 percent, I think it’s more than enough for one year,” she said.
Garma felt proud in leading her personnel in securing a peaceful and fair elections in the city.
The CCPO, she said, could do better if it has the full support of the local government unit (LGU).
Garma might leave Cebu for Manila on Monday, July 1, 2019, according to Sinas.
The CCPO’s first female chief believes that her probable successor, Col. Gemma Vinluan—chief of the Women and Children Protection Desk in Camp Crame—can surpass her accomplishments.
“I was with her for two years during our training. I strongly believe in her character. I think she can do more and even better,” she said. (WBS)