Shooting cases in Negros Oriental ‘alarming’ but Mayor Sagarbarria says Dumaguete situation has improved

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  — Senior Superintendent Dionard Carlos, OIC director of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, has described the number of shooting and murder incidents in the province as already “alarming”.

City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria however clarified that the peace and order situation in Dumaguete was getting better this year than last year, citing comparative figures of shooting incidents in the city.

Carlos, during a meeting with the Provincial Peace and Order Council on Tuesday, had a different assessment on crime statistics in the province. He said that even if the total incidents, as of October this year, are fewer than last year’s, there is still now cause for alarm.

NOrPPO records showed a total of 19 murder cases in Negros Oriental for the month of October alone, and this prompted him to order police units to dissect and identify where in the province these murders took place.

Carlos said he had ordered Supt. Jovito Atanacio, Dumaguete Police chief, to address these incidents. There were three shootings recorded in the city on October, and three more during the first part of this month, police said.

The latest was on Monday at Barangay Daro, this city, where other shootings also occurred earlier, involving riding-in-tandem assailants. “I asked him (Supt. Atanacio) to give me a profile of the victims,” Carlos said, adding he is still waiting for the city police chief to give feedback.  

Carlos also admitted the need for the police to review its method of investigation and other crime procedure because not a single shooting incidents has been solved so far. He said the police also need the support and cooperation of the community, especially in getting witnesses.

Sagarbarria, for his part, after meeting with Atanacio for a briefing with intelligence operatives at the City Police station, said the number of shooting incidents may have decreased but he told the police “not to sleep on that.”

Atanacio told the mayor that, from January to November this year, 30 shootings were recorded in Dumaguete, which was lower by eight than in the entire period of last year.

It was learned that 99 percent of the shooting incidents were related to illegal drugs, and Sagarbarria told the police that he wanted this situation resolved because some of these cases maybe vendetta or grudges among groups engaged in illegal drugs.

Sagarbarria also let the City Police to use his own service vehicle for enhancing police mobility in their intelligence gathering and resolving cases. He told Atanacio the city will acquire two more vehicles for the police, saying that the budget of P1.5 million for each car was already approved.

The mayor further announced the city government had also augmented the communications of the police with the purchase of 12 more radio handsets for policemen on the field or on foot patrol. (FREEMAN)