DESPITE recent shooting incidents that resulted in the deaths of two public officials in Cebu and Bohol, one of whom was a candidate for village chief in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30, 2023, the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7) maintained that the entire region is still peaceful and orderly.
According to Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, the crime rate in Central Visayas is quite low compared to recent months, indicating that the region is safe.
“We have challenges in our peace and security, but, generally, as far as our crime statistics are concerned, we are very peaceful,” Pelares, spokesperson for PRO 7 Director Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, said in Cebuano.
Last Oct. 5, Councilor Anastacio Pacquiao of Barangay Cansamoroy, Balamban town in Cebu was shot dead by the riding-in-tandem assailants. He was running for barangay captain.
The 61-year-old Pacquiao was driving a motorcycle when the assailants attacked him on the national highway in Prenza, Balamban.
The following day, Oct. 6, Councilor Danilo Añora of Buenavista town in Bohol was fatally shot by riding-in-tandem assailants along the national highway in the municipality’s Barangay Cangawa.
Pelare said the police in the provinces of Bohol and Cebu will resolve these major incidents as soon as possible.
He urged the community to help them if they knew about the incident. / AYB, TPT