EDITORIAL - Blackout

One thing that comes to mind over the decision of the police to impose a ‘news blackout’ on the update of their investigation into last week’s ambush that killed at least three people is that the authorities may have encountered roadblocks in their investigation.

Many, including the media, have wondered why the Police Regional Office-7 leadership is now withholding any information on the development of the case considering that there is only one angle that investigators are currently zeroing in on.

Right after the incident, police investigators announced that politics could be behind the ambush of the van carrying San Fernando Mayor Lakambini “Neneth” Reluya that killed her husband, the town’s Association of Barangay Councils president Ricardo “Nonoy” Reluya Jr., and two others.

What bolstered the police suspicion is the fact that Mayor Reluya herself reportedly pointed to politics as the possible motive behind the incident. The mayor is seeking reelection against a businessman whose reclamation project in the town she is stopping for alleged lack of requirements.

But how serious is the political angle that police really need a ‘blackout’ on the update of the case? Is the town’s political climate in a very critical state that merits special police attention as far as the Reluya ambush is concerned?

Lest they forget, the police have blamed illegal drug trade for most of the fatal attacks on some of the town’s officials, claiming some of the victims were connected to suspected drug lord Franz Sabalones.

This is not to conclude Reluya’s ambush has something to do with illegal drugs. Cebuanos just want to know the truth and authorities need to explore all possibilities in their investigation into the case since we all want swift justice for the victims.

That is why a news ‘blackout’ does not really help because it only curtails the public’s right to know about the development of the case. Besides, it will only create perception that authorities are hiding something from the public.