The alleged arson attempt on the home of former Barangay Tejero chairman and now councilman Jessielou Cadungog may further drive a wedge between the Cebu City police and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who in turn may find himself deeper in troubled political waters due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s vocal displeasure of his antagonism towards the city police.
And it all started when Cadungog survived what appeared to be an ambush supposedly instigated by PO3 Eugene Calumba last July 30 near the Tejero barangay hall.
Though Cadungog was cleared by the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in relation to Calumba’s death at the hands of his driver William Macaslang Jr., Cadungog’s safety remains in doubt due to last Wednesday’s fire that hit his home which fortunately didn’t hurt anyone.
The fire at Cadungog’s home which Councilor Margot Osmeña, the mayor’s wife, believed was an arson attempt, came amid the mayor’s decision to limit the budget for allowances to city police officers living in Cebu City, a move that Senior Supt. Royina Garma, Cebu City police chief, described as “politically motivated.”
Garma’s allegation is prefaced on the basis that before the attack on Cadungog, the mayor had not been as vocal against the killings of drug suspects and had even offered cash rewards to Cebu City police who manage to kill suspected drug lords and
criminal suspects during operations.
That said, it doesn’t help the Cebu City police any when they and the rest of the Cebu police continue to fail to arrest drive-by shooters who ambush anyone with alleged drug and criminal ties even in broad daylight.
And what about the remarks issued by Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office chief, that retired or active police
officers could have been used as “hitmen” of drug syndicates which he later clarified was taken out of context?
Then again, we wonder why Sinas, who was summoned to explain his remarks by Camp Crame, would have to defend his statement given that it’s an open secret that there are scalawags in the police ranks, who President Rodrigo Duterte labeled as
“ninja cops” that had to be dealt with extreme prejudice.
Politically motivated or not, the mayor’s decision to cut the allowances and limit the issuance of vehicles to Cebu City police should not compromise nor delay their efforts to arrest those responsible for the killings and the public summary executions on drug suspects and even law enforcement officers suspected of ties with drug syndicates.
As far as the public can tell, the killings continue unabated and the police appear unable to stop it.
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