Cebu City police set up a checkpoint outside of the Guadalupe residence of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. /Photo from Osmeña’s FB page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A police checkpoint was established outside of his Guadalupe residence on Thursday afternoon.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña alleged that a team of policemen coming from the City Force Mobile Company (CFMC) also tailed him during his Visita Iglesia on the same day.
He alleged that the checkpoint was moved to V. Rama Avenue, which is a major thoroughfare, in their barangay when he returned from his Visita Iglesia past 10 p.m. on Thursday and after barangay residents started to crowd a small chapel located across his residence to question the presence of policemen in the area.
“I live on a side street in Guadalupe, but instead of securing something (like) the bus terminals, churches, or other high traffic areas, PRO-7 has decided to send 10 (uniformed) police to make a “checkpoint” right outside my house. The main road is 100m away. When I left earlier, they left. Now that I’m home, they’re back. Earlier today, my wife had to ask permission to enter our own house,” Osmeña said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“There are brgy. captains reporting police in military fatigues standing outside their houses as well. And I was just told that the team leader of this checkpoint is the same commander who led the raid on captain Jojo Quijano’s house without properly serving the warrant.”
As of 4 p.m. today, April 20, Osmeña’s FB post solicited 3, 200 engagements; 915 comments; and 347 shares.
Osmeña said this was the first in his entire career as a politician that a checkpoint was set up just outside of his residence during the election season. The checkpoint was also organized shortly after policemen also visited barangay Lahug on April 17 and allegedly knocked on homes for firearms inspection.
Read More: Delos Santos shares video of confrontation with police doing ‘firearm inspection’ in Lahug
CDN Digital tried bu failed to reach Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Royina Garma, who has been on leave since last week, for her comment. CCPO sources said that her doctor has advised Garma to take a leave of absence from her work to rest.
Even Police Major Chuck Barandog, CFMC head, failed to return calls and text messages sent to his cellular phone.
The Thursday night checkpoint that was set up along M.J. Cuenco Avenue, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu Cty. /From Labella’s FB page
Osmeña told CDN Digital in an interview this afternoon, April 20, said that Garma’s absence in the city is a “bad signal” of something that is yet to happen.
“It is clear that the enemy is top brass,” he said.
“I hope they target me and not our supporters,” the mayor added.
But, Osmeña would not say what he plans to do next.
Still he suspects that Garma’s leave of absence has something to do with police visits on the residences of Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) allies including himself.
Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, the mayoral candidate of Barug PDP-Laban, posted on his Facebook page on Friday morning that was police checkpoint was also established outside of their ancestral homes located in Barangays Mabolo and Bacayan, Thursday night.
“Tungod sa inyong presence, we all feel safer. Good job and more power!” said Labella who added the hashtag #KungWalayBinoangWalayKahadlokan to his FB post. /dcb