ONE YEAR AFTER. Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas recounts one year of service at the helm of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas. | CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A year ago, Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas took up the reins as director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), a position that gave him the authority to oversee the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental.
Sinas assumed the post on June 4, 2019 replacing Brigadier General Robert Quenery, who was the director of PRO-7 when Cebu was named as the eighth safest city in Asia.
The moniker of being one of Asia’s safest cities, however, was challenged when Sinas, 53, intensified the region’s war on drugs in accordance to the directive issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.
In mid-2018, Duterte expressed dismay of the drug situation in the cities of Cebu and Talisay.
Under Sinas’ administration, PRO-7 conducted 7,157 anti-illegal drug operations with over 10,178 individuals placed behind bars.
Of this number, 394 were in the drug watch lists of the region’s different stations.
Police records show 108 drug suspects were killed during legitimate anti-illegal drug operations.
Within one year, Sinas said the intense drug war in Cebu that the authorities waged against the illegal drug players gathered a total of 126 kilograms of shabu and 128 kilograms of marijuana.
These numbers, he said, show the gravity of the drug situation in Cebu, which may have gone unnoticed had the police stayed silent in fighting the illegal drug war.
Sinas said the anti-illegal drugs operations consisted of Synchronized Enhanced Managing Police Operations (Sempo), buy busts, and greyhound operation in the jails.
Sinas, a native of Butuan and a Bisaya like the President, said he only followed the lead and directive of the country’s highest official to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs.
Since then, Sinas said, PRO-7 has one of the highest number of anti-illegal drugs operations in the Philippines, which shows the unfortunate reality that Central Visayas is one of the country’s most drug-infested regions.
Rise in murder, homicide cases
In their efforts to intensify the anti-drug campaign, Sinas said they expected that the crime index for murder and homicide will increase.
Sinas explained that previously stable and profitable groups had to disperse and sell drugs in areas, which are not their territories, and with an existing illegal drug group that controls the buy-and-sell dynamics.
He said the murders and homicides are committed by illegal drug players themselves.
Fighting over territories and limited supply led to disputes and killings.
“We can always expect a rise (in killings) because the drug groups have been disturbed and they are now running away to other areas dominated by other drug groups. These groups clash and kill each other,” said Sinas in the vernacular.
The numbers show this reality.
From June 5, 2017 to June 3, 2018, police recorded 129 homicide cases.
The number increased to 134 cases within the same period or from June 4, 2018 to June 2, 2019
Murder cases was at 631 from June 2017 to June 2018. It rose to 723 murder cases within the period of June 2018 to June 2019.
But Sinas noted that the index crimes – – or the collective term used to refer to theft, homicide, murder and robbery cases – – dropped by 10.5 percent or a total of 1,510 decrease in incidents.
From June 2017 to June 2018, index crime was recorded at 14,409 cases. This dropped to 12,899 cases from June 2018 to June 2019.
Sinas, however, noted that not all of these cases are drug related. He said personal conflicts and rape cases also contribute in the numbers.
Silawan murder
The most publicized murder case under Sinas’ watch was that of 16-year-old Christine Silawan, who was found dead in Lapu-Lapy City on March 11 with her facial skin flayed off.
The trial of suspect, Renato Llenes, continues up to this day.
READ: Body of 16-year-old church collector whose face was skinned found in Lapu-Lapu City
READ: Suspect Llenes recounts how he killed 16-year-old Christine Silawan
While the police go all out in the drug war, Sinas reminded police chiefs to intensify patrols and security in their respective areas to prevent these killings.
Sinulog float, education advocacy
Away from the war on drugs and discussion on crimes, Sinas’ one-year term is also characterized by the PRO-7’s participation in the Sinulog Grand Parade showcasing their elaborate float.
The regional office also conducted various community outreach activities such as medical missions in the provinces as well as the police’s involvement in the Brigada Eskwela program of the Department of Education.
In partnership with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), PRO-7 helped distribute over 250 comic books to school children to educate the youth on the ill effects of illegal drugs.
The regional office likewise helped in distributing 3.5 million lunch packages to various students. / celr