All chiefs of police ordered to report shooting incidents

CEBU, Philippines - Following a spate of crimes in Cebu, Police Regional Office-7 director Danilo Constantino is asking all city and provincial directors to give him a report of all shooting incidents in their respective areas of responsibility.

Constantino said he noticed a slight increase in the number of crimes involving the use of firearms. The regional director wanted to know all crimes involving the use of firearms in Central Visayas.

Constantino intends to furnish a copy of the report to all governors, city and municipal mayors in the region for them to be aware of the crime incidents in their respective localities.

The data will also be used against police chiefs once they fail to act on it. Constantino warned that the chiefs of police will not only face possible relief but pre-charge evaluation as well.

Constantino’s decision stemmed from the recent string of killings in Cebu involving prominent personalities. He cited the recent ambush of lawyer Noel Archival who was killed together with two members of his staff in Barangay Coro, Dalaguete on February 18.

The lawyer was on his way home to Cebu City after attending a court hearing in Dumaguete City when unidentified gunmen on board two pickup trucks peppered his Ford Escape with bullets. Archival and his aide, Edu Miñoza, died on the spot while his driver, Alejandro Jaime, died in the hospital. Another staff, Paulo Cortez, survived in the ambush.

Even before the police could have a breakthrough in the investigation, another ambush happened in Toledo City last Monday that killed a barangay councilwoman. A barangay captain was critically injured during the incident.

Councilwoman Irene Wamilda, 28, of Barangay Capitan Claudio was killed in the ambush while her companion, Barangay Captain Alexander Alqueza, is in critical condition. The victims were on their way home onboard a multicab when they were ambushed by three unidentified armed men.

A business partner of a former town councilor of Argao, who was killed last year, was also shot dead last week. Cecille Villafuerte, who was into money-lending business, was shot dead outside her house by still unidentified assailants.

Villafuerte was the business partner of the late town councilor Joaquin Banosong. — (FREEMAN)