Mayors urged: Spare cops from politics

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Police Provincial Office director Senior Superintendent Noel Gillamac has appealed to all local chief executives in the province to spare the chiefs of police from politics because they are just doing their jobs to maintain peace and order.

Gillamac made the appeal after Mayor Nelson Garcia requested for the relief of Dumanjug police chief Senior Inspector Arvi Arbuis because of the latter’s alleged bias in favor of his political rival.

“Ang amo lang mohangyo unta mi sa contending political parties to spare their chiefs of police because they are just maintaining peace and order in the localities,” Gillamac said.

Garcia wants Arbuis out of Dumanjug following a strafing incident in Barangay Masa last week involving the vehicle of the town’s vice mayoralty candidate Rene Asentista. The mayor did not like Arbuis’ statement immediately concluding that the incident was politically motivated.

Asentista is the runningmate of Vice Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica Jr. who is challenging Garcia in the mayoral post next elections.

Despite his appeal to local chief executives, however, Gillamac submitted five names to Garcia as possible replacement of Arbuis.

“Yesterday we sent five names for him to consider who will be the next chief of police… being the chief executive iya na’ng katungod nga mopili og chief executive, let us not deprive mayor Garcia of that right,” Gillamac said.

Garcia, in an interview over dyLA, confirmed to have received the list. In fact, he had already chosen one from the list but refused to reveal the name yet.

This is not a guarantee, however, that Arbuis will be relieved immediately because of the pending investigation into the strafing incident.

“Ato ‘sang tan-awn g’yud no, until such time nga mahuman ang cases nga gihandolan ni Senior Inspector Arbuis. We will still review if angayan ba sad by this time nga gubot pa, on the process of finding the criminals,” Gillamac added.

It is, however, a “matter of policy” for the PNP to relieve personnel facing administrative complaint. Arbuis has been accused of brutality to two suspects arrested in connection with the strafing of the vehicle of Asentista.

Comelec watchlist

Following the incident, Gica is asking the Commission on Elections to place the town under its control in the coming elections.

Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec provincial supervisor, said they are still in the process of assessment whether or not to include Dumanjug in the election watchlist areas. Castillano also said that at the moment the incident is treated purely as police matter because the election period is yet to start.

Castillano said the issue will be discussed as soon as the election period starts on January 10, 2016.

Garcia said he is not opposed to placing Dumanjug under Comelec control in the coming elections provided that the security personnel should come from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and not of the Philippine National Police.

He is also asking the Comelec to include in the watchlist the towns of Ronda and Argao where an alleged shootout between the police operatives and two of the suspects in the strafing in Dumanjug happened last Wednesday morning.

Garcia, however, believes that there was no shootout. According to him, there is a big possibility that the incident was a case of rubout.

Barangay Councilman Wilfredo Albios and a certain Marciano Tiwan were killed during the alleged encounter in Baranga Langin, Ronda. Their alleged cohort, Bemar James Mejares, was also arrested in Barangay Apo, Argao.

Mejares is said to be Argao’s most wanted and has at least three pending warrants of arrest.

Members of the Argao Police Station went to Dumanjug yesterday where Mejares was detained to serve the warrants for murder, frustrated murder, and illegal possession of firearm against him.

Mejares was charged with murder for killing barangay councilman Gomersindo Sabanal, 49, of Barangay Manatad, Sibonga in October 2013.

He was likewise tagged in the killing of two police officers in Moalboal during a drug raid last year.

Evaluation

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office-7 is still evaluating which part of the region could be considered political hotspots.

Chief Superintendent Manual Gaerlan, the newly installed regional director, said it was agreed during the coordinating conference with the Comelec officials that the identification of possible hotspots will be made during the tripartite meeting with the AFP.

 “We are still at the validation stage. As I’ve said, these are not mere historical data or numbers. We are trying to look deeper kasi meron mga portions sa criteria na kailangan mo i-evaluate on the ground,” said Gaerlan.

He said that incidents in the previous elections may not be applicable nowadays considering that armed persons are highly mobile and may transfer from one place to another.

“So we want to have information that is accurate as possible, so that we can be guided in our actions. Kung hindi accurate ang evaluation, hindi rin accurate aming decision,” said Gaerlan.

Gaerlan also ordered an intensified operation against loose firearms.  (FREEMAN)