TAGBILARAN CITY ,Philippines – Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto declared the entire Boholano population is enraged by the rape and gruesome killing of the cashier of a bar of a resort in Panglao town.
The Provincial Peace and Order Council, chaired by the governor, has approved a resolution condemning the savage act which did not only cause harm on one person but the entire family who has been depending on the victim for a living.
Chatto said Bohol could not allow such incident to happen again. The suspect—a security guard of the same resort that the victim worked—admitted to the media that he had two drug sessions the night before the early morning incident on January 6.
Taking illegal drugs as the root of the incident, Chatto called on all sectors in the community to cooperate with the Bohol Police and the PDEA by providing information that can lead to the identification of people involved in the illegal drugs trade.
Chatto also ordered an in-depth and integrated investigation on the illegal drugs problem and the policies of security agencies in screening blue guards, considering that the victim was presumed safe in the hands of a guard supposedly trained to protect.
The Regional Peace and Order Council will meet before the end of this month in Dumaguete City and Chatto said he will bring the matter with the PADPAO regional director to come up with parameters that security agencies should observe in screening guards.
“Let us make sure that the death of Josephine Mecla will not be put to waste. I think the wake up call is enough for us to work and put the full force of the law against those who disturb the tranquility of our province,” Chatto told the PPOC in the meeting.
The governor also ordered authorities to make regular reporting on substance abuse and drug pushing incidents, and he assigned the DILG-Bohol to monitor compliance of this order.
Chatto’s office is now drafting an executive order for the creation of Bohol Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force that will take charge on responding quickly to any call for assistance, to strengthen the coordination with informants.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Bohol Police Provincial Office, headed by Insp. Pelagio Rosagaran, filed a complaint on January 9 against Erwin Escomo, 21, the security guard of the resort who was the suspect in the rape-slay of Mecla.
The complaint was received by Fiscal Ponciano Uy at the Provincial Fiscal’s Office and Escomo was given 10 days to file his counter-affidavit with the assistance of the Public Attorney’s Office. Rosagaran said the preliminary hearing is set on January 18.