Carcar mayor-elect wants police escort

CEBU, Philippines - The mayor-elect of Carcar City, Vice Mayor Nicepuro Apura has requested the Cebu Provincial Police Office for a police escort after claiming he received threatening text messages after he was proclaimed as the winner.

Apura showed the text message he received to CPPO director Sr. Supt. Erson Digal. The threat stated that he would not live through the oath taking and will not occupy the mayor's post.

Digal said since Apura requested just now, he will be assigned a temporary escort while they are still evaluating the seriousness of the threat.

Meanwhile, a squad from the Special Reaction Unit was deployed to Barangay Liboron Carcar City to help address the illegal drug problem.

Some years ago an outpost was set up in Liboron to intensify the drug campaign but later on it was recalled.

Supt. Renato Malazarte, chief of Carcar City Police Station, said the drug problem in his area of responsibility is not that big. However, he said he is grateful that the CPPO and the Police Regional Office-7 recognized the problem they are encountering pertaining to illegal drugs.

Malazarte added he can now shift his focus from the illegal drug trade to the peace and order situation in Carcar City.

Malazarte has been chief of police of Carcar City for three months now, while he said they have arrested several drug personalities it is not sufficient in stopping the illegal drug trade.

An active campaign against illegal drugs was seen as the motive behind the murder of Ocaña barangay captain Jose Husain last week.

The perpetrators have already identified, but police officials said they will not divulge the names yet. The CPPO director has already assigned a task force to focus on the solution of the case, the task force is led by Provincial Intelligence Branch chief Supt. Rodulfo Albotra. (FREEMAN NEWS)