CEBU, Philippines — Land Transportation Office - 7 Director Victor Caindec disclosed yesterday that he has been receiving death threats following his online spat with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
"I am not saying it came from one person or the same people. The timeline is it came in almost directly related to the start of the conflict," Caindec said in an interview with The Freeman streamed live on Facebook yesterday.
One threat reads, "pagbantay kay dili puthaw imong ulo."
Caindec said it is the first time he has received such threats and while he considers this as a "friendly banter," his family, especially his wife and children, are not taking the pressure too well.
Still, he said he tries not to let the threats affect his work.
"I also take necessary precautions and more careful on how we move. The thing about threats is that they curtail your freedom and that is the whole intent of it. If you subject yourself to fear, you could no longer do the things you have to do," Caindec said.
He plans to report the matter to the cybercrime unit of the National Bureau of Investigation but believes that authorities can only do so much, especially those sending the threats are using fake online accounts.
"It depends… if all the people behind this hide behind the cloak of anonymity, then there is very little we can do expect having it investigated or blottered. If I succumbed to what they intend me to feel then humana ang duwa, humana na ning tanan. I am not doing this for myself, I am voicing the majority of Cebuanos who sees the ineptness of governance," Caindec said.
The exchange of words between Caindec and Osmeña started when the LTO chief challenged the mayor to resign if LTO can solve the existing traffic problem in the South District.
Caindec's challenge came after Osmeña threatened to sue LTO officials for their alleged failure to release the registration of vehicles and motorcycles on time.
Abandoned
Residents in the South District have been suffering from monstrous traffic since last year when construction of an underpass in Barangay Mambaling began. The project has rerouted vehicles to narrower roads and caused massive traffic build-up especially during peak hours.
After Caindec's challenge, Osmeña pulled the city's traffic personnel from Mambaling to let the LTO deal with the situation.
But Caindec did not give in and did not send LTO personnel to man the traffic, prompting Osmeña to field the city's men back.
"Because the LTO abandoned the challenge that they will show us how to do it. I let them do it, but they abandoned it. So, of course, in the interest of public service I am doing it," Osmeña told reporters yesterday.
Osmeña said he only gave LTO the chance to take over traffic management so he would not be criticized of being abusive on his power.
"We are going to continue it when they claimed they are the authority and they will show me how to do it. And I did not let them to do it, I can be accused of hanging on to power and abusive of my authority because I am not authorized to do it," he said.
Osmeña said under the law, the city government is not responsible for traffic concerns and that the same is the role of the Philippine National Police.
"It's not in the Local Government Code. It's only the LTO that is authorized to apprehend the violators. As a matter of fact, when I became the mayor long time ago, the city is not involved in traffic enforcement; it was the police," Osmeña said.
In a separate interview, Councilor David Tumulak, chairman of the City Council's committee on public order and safety, said the mayor decided to deploy traffic personnel again after seeing how bad the situation was last Monday after he pulled them out.
"Well, nakita man gud kaayo niya nga grabe gyud ang kahuot sa traffic kagahapon. Nisamot nga wala'y CITOM nag-man. Dili sad angayan nga atong isakripisyo ang mga tawo sa kahuot sa trapiko," he said.
All southbound vehicles are directed to pass smaller access roads such as Tagunol Street, E. Sabellano Street, Caimito Street, among others.
All minibuses, buses, and delivery trucks will access Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR).
Tumulak urged northbound and southbound private vehicles to pass through the Inayawan access road.
At the city police office, Senior Supt. Royina Garma assured they will not abandon Barangay Mambaling.
"Ang police dapat nanduon, kahit ano instructions ng Land Transportation Office (LTO). The police must always be there because we are neutral kaya yun ang instruction ko sa police, huwag iwanan ang area," Garma said .
She said the CCPO's decision is aligned with the guideline put in place by Police Regional Office -7 Director Debold Sinas that the police will do its part in alleviating the situation regardless of conflicts by other stakeholders involved.
Besides, she said, police presence has double purpose – ease traffic and crime prevention.
"Since the police are present in the area, they are called to respond to alarm, kapag nakita nila na may nangyayari diyan sa harap nila, alangan naman tingnan lang nila, aaksyonan ng kapulisan, at saka preventive na rin kasi ma- discourage ang mga criminal gumawa ng krimen pag may pulis," she said. (FREEMAN)