Police Director General Avelino Razon yesterday said that the so-called vigilante killings in Cebu City must be stopped.
“There should be an end to vigilante killings because people cannot take the law in their hands. We have a justice system that is supposed to punish wrongdoers and violators of the law; vigilantism is something we should not allow in our community,” Razon said.
Razon, who became PNP Chief last October 1, told reporters that he already ordered police units in Cebu to expand areas of police visibility and to run after those possessing unlicensed guns.
Vigilante killings have no room in today’s society, Razon said while Cebu City Police director Patrocinio Comendador, for his part, said more policemen would be put on the streets to stop these acts, which he previously tagged as “serial killings.”
Last week, a man who had just posted bail a month ago for the crime of robbery was gunned down.
The police believed that he was the 181st victim of the so-called vigilantes, a group of still unidentified people who have been out to kill former inmates or people with criminal records.
Inspector Mario Monilar, chief of the City Police Homicide Section, said that based on the manner of execution, the killing was the handiwork of vigilantes.
The Church has been condemning publicly these “vigilante killings” while militant groups and other sectors have been demanding justice for the victims, regardless of their backgrounds.
Records showed that vigilante killings started on December 22, 2004, and reached its peak in 2005 when the number of killed ex-convicts reached close to 100. There was even a day when three people were killed.
Most of the victims were suspected robbers and thieves, and some were into illegal drug activities. Investigators however failed to get suspects because the family of the victims, for fear of reprisals, refused to cooperate by providing the police with vital information.
It was during the 12th Asean Summit security preparations last year when the killings stopped. — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE