Armed men in Talisay just ‘hearsay,’ police insist

THERE are no armed men roaming around in Sitio Dawas, Barangay Tabunok in Talisay City despite complaints from a property owner and a resident there, police said yesterday.

SPO1 Erwin Cabangquillo said the four police officers assigned to monitor the presence of armed men were pulled out after seeing no sign of them yesterday.

Cabangquillo insisted that the property owner Lucenda Yongco is just “making the story up” about the armed men and merely wanted to get back at Dionisia Bacalso, who claimed ownership of her property there.

Bacalso denied allegations by Yongco that she hired the armed men to harass her and presented documents claiming ownership of the property owned by Yongco.

Residents of Sitio Dawis complained about the armed men who they claim to be firing indiscriminately at night.

They claim that these armed men hide in the shadows so their presence won’t be easily detected by police.

A resident named Rhona Nacua reported about an armed man that wandered to the area, and a police team sent there spotted the man who managed to elude them.

Senior Insp. Robert Lucernas of the Talisay City police said a previous report about armed men in another barangay turned up negative.

He said they learned that the armed men moved to Sitio Dawis.

Supt. Emerson Dante, Talisay City police chief, earlier ordered the police to arrest any armed persons found roaming the area on sight.