CCPO: Cebu City’s mountain barangays remain safe

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police in Cebu City assured residents in the city’s mountain barangays that there was no need to be alarmed in the peace and order situation there despite the twin strafing incidents on Thursday dawn, April 4.

An official from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said the 22 hinterland villages of the city remained peaceful, and that it would likely continue to be so even if the midterm elections was drawing near.

“So far, in the previous elections, there were no election-related incidents recorded, reported. Wala ray angay kabalak-an ang atong mga mountain barangays,” said Lieutenant Colonel Leoncio Baliguat Jr., CCPO’s deputy city director for operations.

Meanwhile, police have yet to identify the possible suspects behind the strafing incidents which involved the houses of the barangay captains of Sinsin (Aurelio Laspuña) and Sudlon II (Pricillo Albores).

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Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, Cebu City Police Office Operations Branch chief, said they were also looking into several possible motives which include politics, business-related, and even personal grudge.

“Wala pa tay possible suspects so far but as we’ve said before, mas maayo mucooperate ang atong victims with the police,” said Parilla.

(We have no possible suspects so far, but like we have said before, it would be better if the victims would cooperate with the police.)

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WATCH:  Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, Cebu City Police Office Operations Branch chief, has urged the victims of the strafing incidents in the two mountain barangays of Cebu City to file formal complaints to the police. Parilla said as of Friday morning, no one had approached the investigators to provide information and cooperate with the investigation. |Morexette Marie B. Erram