Still to serve Brgy Ermita Dumpit reassigned to Carbon station

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Police Office has officially reassigned Senior Police Officer 1 Adonis Dumpit to the Carbon Police Station from the Tourist Police Unit.

This was apparently in response to the letter of Mayor Tomas Osmeña asking Cebu City Police Office Director Joel Doria to reassign to help maintain peace and order in Barangay Ermita, which is under Carbon Police Station’s jurisdiction.

In an interview, Dumpit confirmed that he will be assigned to the said station and is  under its mobilization unit.

“Ang mission nako dinhi sa Station 5 kay pag-mentinar sa kahapsay ug kalinaw. Kung bahin sa drugas, di ba ingon man to ang presidente nga wa nalay kuan sa drugas (ang police) ‘nya ang Armed Forces na, although pwede mi makakuan (dakop) pero magpa-deputize mi sa PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). Pero wa magpasabot nga di mi makadakop og drugas, ang amo lang kung harap-harap, pwede man na sa plain view, sa inflagrante delicto,” Dumpit said when sought for comment on his reassignment.

He assured that law-abiding residents of Ermita have nothing to fear in him, only the criminals.

Dumpit was initially among three “tough guys” that Osmeña initially considered as caretaker of Ermita after Barangay Captain Felicisimo Rupinta and all barangay councilors were placed under a six-month preventive suspension.

Dumpit was Osmeña’s first choice since the policeman is “most feared” by the drug peddlers and pushers, but the mayor changed his mind when he learned Dumpit has to resign first from being a policeman before being designated as Ermita caretaker.

The mayor eventually designated Carbon Public Market Administrator Winifredo Orcullo as Ermita caretaker, and requested Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno to allow Orcullo to sign vouchers, payrolls, and other barangay documents to avoid hampering the delivery of basic services in Ermita.

Before he left for an official trip to Japan yesterday, Osmeña sent the communication for Sueno to address the “hiatus of leadership” in the barangay because of the en masse suspension of its officials last week.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who has been designated as acting mayor while Osmeña is away, said he, too, would send DILG a letter urging for the immediate appointment of an acting Ermita barangay captain invoking the same reasons Osmeña said in his letter.

Labella said his foremost concern is the release of the salaries of the barangay workers next week. — Christell Fatima M. Tudtud, Jean Marvette A. Demecillo (FREEMAN)