CEBU, Philippines — “Best policeman, good man, and nice person.”
This is how Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña described SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, his most trusted aide for several years until the latter was accused of killing a suspected robber in 2004. Dumpit was charged in court and dismissed from the service but was later reinstated while his case is pending appeal.
“Dumpit was a nice person. He was nice to be around with. He was like a regular guy. Some people look at him like a rough, tough, whatever. That was his image but he’s very soft spoken. He doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t even look at you straight in the eyes. He looks down. He doesn’t ask much by way of favors,” the mayor said.
The mayor considered him as a friend that he even paid for Dumpit’s bail before the Court of Appeals amounting to P250,000 in 2016. Osmeña also had him fetched by a private plane from Leyte where he was detained at the Regional Penitentiary in Abuyog town.
Osmeña took care of Dumpit while the latter was still working on his reinstatement to the police service. The mayor said it was his way of thanking Dumpit for his service to the city.
“And I can always say that he loves Cebu and he served the city well,” he added.
As a policeman, Osmeña said that Dumpit was dedicated to his mandate “to serve and protect.” In fact, he had been portrayed as “hunter” of criminals in the city.
In August 2016, months after he was released from prison, Dumpit was reinstated to police service and was assigned to Bohol as part of the Provincial Public Safety Company of Bohol Provincial Police Office. On October 21, 2016, he was transferred to Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) until he was again reassigned to Bohol last year.
Dumpit’s good reputation, however, has gone awry when joint operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation in Bohol and Regional Intelligence Division of Police Regional Office-7 killed him yesterday during a drug interdiction operation.
The operation ended the colorful life of once a decorated police officer who was regarded as “crime buster”. — FPL (FREEMAN)