Bogo City policemen set dialogue with frat leaders

CEBU, Philippines —  The Bogo City police have set a meeting with the city's fraternity leaders following the alleged gang-related shooting incident in Barangay Gairan injuring a 14-year-old female last February 15.

Police Lieutenant Joan Guia Arnoco, Bogo City Police Station chief, said they would gather all fraternity and gang leaders for a meeting to prevent the incident from happening again.

Arnoco said they would also be more strict in implementing the existing curfew hours for minors, which run from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and other security ordinances to ensure peace and security despite the ongoing gang feuds in the city.

He said they would also coordinate with the city's different barangay officials to monitor the youth activities within their areas.

On February 15, a 14-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound in her right leg and a cut on the head as she was believed to have caught in crossfire of a gang war in Purok Rosal 5 in Barangay Gairan past midnight.

The victim was identified as Flor (not her real name, identity hidden for being a minor), a resident of Purok Diamond, Barangay Bungtod in Bogo City.

Based on the initial investigation, Flor and her friends arrived at the area by foot around 12:30 a.m. when three motorcycles appeared near the group and started shooting, and one threw a bottle at them.

The victim was rushed to the Cebu Provincial Hospital in the city.

The police arrested two of the suspects, Arthur Guevarra Jr., a 26-year-old resident of Purok Flores in Barangay Sambag, and Kevin (not his real name), a 17-year-old resident of Purok Pablo in Barangay Sto. Niño.

The third suspect identified as "alias Dode" who happens to be Guevarra's neighbor remains at large.

Also, authorities later found out that Flor is a member of the Crips Gang.

Arnoco said that as they investigated further, they found out that Guevarra is the city's Bloods gang leader, who was said to be stabbed by a member of the Crips last January this year.

It seems like these two groups are conducting revenge on each other due to what happened, said Arnoco.

He said they had already organized a discussion with the Bloods and Crips leaders and their members' parents, stressing most of them are minors to put a permanent end to the groups' dispute and prevent similar incidents from happening. — GMR (FREEMAN)