ON P20K BOUNTY
Duty above everything else.
This was the reminder issued yesterday (Nov. 29) by regional police head Chief Supt. Debold Sinas to police officers in Cebu following reports that drug groups are offering cash rewards for every policeman killed.
Sinas also bared that the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) is investigating the information provided by the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO).
Drug personalities are allegedly dangling a P20,000 bounty for the life of each police officer.
Be extra careful
“Kung tinood na, it will not affect sa atong campaign (If that is true, it will not affect our campaign against illegal drugs.) It’s part of our job. We implement the campaign, the laws, and the procedures,” he said.
But Sinas reminded all provincial and city directors as well as cops assigned in big police stations such as in Talisay City, to be extra careful in the daily dispensation of their duties.
He also ordered police chiefs to discourage their subordinates from frequenting night clubs where they can become easy targets.
“If we are doing our job, guol kaayo ang criminal. If naguol ang criminal, buot pasabot, ang among campaign na-hit ilang mga nerves. I think we are on the right track kay ni-tyabaw na sila,” said Sinas.
(If we are doing our job, we upset the criminals. If we upset the criminals, that means our campaign is effective. I think we are in the right track because they have been rattled.)
As of now, Sinas said they have no concrete evidence yet to prove that drug personalities are indeed targeting the police.
But he added that his men will not be cowed by their threats.
Meanwhile, CCPO Director Senior Supt. Manuel Abrugena also reminded his men to be extra careful all the time.
“Lage sinasabi sa kapulisan in every operation they will be making dapat lang talaga mag-ingat. Because we can never know kung ano ang mga plano ng mga lawless elements dito sa ating probinsya,” said Abrugena.
(We keep reminding our policemen to be very careful during operations because we will never know what these lawless elements are up to.)
Probe info
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak also urged an immediate investigation into the matter.
“That’s a very serious information that the police should look into. And we urge also the public to assist by giving information to our law enforcement agency because the war on drugs is not only for the law enforcement agencies,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
At the same time, Tumulak, who is also the deputy mayor on police matters, asked law enforcers to focus on arresting the drug lords and not just the petty drug pushers, because the former have the means and resources to harm them.
“Dili ta mosugot nga maunhan ang atong law enforcers, kinahanglan sila gyuy makauna kay they are there to protect us,” he added.
(We will not allow them to get our law enforcers first. The police must always be a step ahead because they are there to protect us.)