Policemen told to watch for drug-crazed suspects

Policemen are forewarned to be more cautious in responding to day-to-day alarms because many criminals are now taking drugs and may choose to fight rather than flee when high.

Supt. Pablo Labra II, deputy chief of the Cebu City Police Office, told reporters yesterday that this also applies to suspects involved in guns and those who have already killed in the past.

During the Christmas Eve, two members of the elite Special Weapons and Tactics team, SPO2 Reynante Nioda and PO3 Reynaldo Callet, were wounded while responding to a shooting alarm involving a woodcraft worker who had just killed a man in barangay Inayawan.

The incident ended with the suspect dead and the two policemen and a barangay tanod wounded.  The suspect was identified as Alejandro Bayarcal, who earlier shot dead his co-worker Arnel Villarico.  The wounded tanod was Wilfredo Ornopia.

Labra said based on the information they got from the area, Bayarcal, who was allegedly high, shot Villarico after they had an argument when the victim saw the suspect urinating near Villarico who was with his girlfriend at the time.

Early this month, a policeman died after he was shot at close range by a suspected handler of hire killers operating in Metro Cebu.

PO1 Noriel Luage of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch was with the joint operation led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 to serve a search warrant against Ramon Jaime “Boy” Baclohan in barangay Zapatera.

But the suspect fired first, killing Luage, before being shot dead by another policeman.

“Don’t fire unless fired upon, presence of mind wala gyuy question, siguro ang pikas lang gyud kung unsa siya ka kaagresibo siguro mao ray na-underestimate.  Kung unsay pwersa nga ilang gigamit against nato it should be equal in response gikan nato. Dili ta kinahanglang mo-find fault sa atong mga kauban kay ila gud ng girisgo ang ilang kinabuhi, pero siguro next time before we engage any suspect, whatever action, shootout ba or other police intervention nga atong pagabuhaton kinahanglang i-size up sa gyud ang suspects,” Labra said.

Also last Christmas Eve PO1 Mark Anthony Manlosa of the CCPO Tourist Assistance Center responded to an armed person who turned out to be another policeman, PO1 Calvin Dinampo, who was assigned to Talisay City police station.

Manlosa asked the Dinampo if he was a policeman but the latter allegedly did not answer and tried to take a firecracker vendor hostage that led to a shootout.

Dinampo died due to gunshot wounds to the head and body, while Manlosa escaped unscathed.  The CCPO is still investigating the case. — Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP