Police adjusting crime responses to address shootings in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Policemen in Cebu City and Cebu Province are adjusting their responses to crimes after 13 people were killed in 11 shooting incidents in the island in June.

For Cebu City, where 5 shooting incidents were recorded last month that led to 6 deaths, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is using a four point approach or a quad staff approach to address the crime problem.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, CCPO deputy director for operations, said in an interview that they had revised their intervention by applying the quad staff approach in their efforts on operation, intelligence, community affairs development, and investigation to address these shooting concerns.

Parilla said that for operation, they were re-aligning their police deployment where most crimes occurred and using motorcycle patrols for quick response.

Aside from that, he said they were also deploying Task Force Kasaligan volunteers and other force multipliers in the interior areas of the city, that were not covered by the deployment of their uniformed personnel.

In the intelligence part, Parilla said that they would also conduct tactical interrogation of arrested persons involved in murder cases.

He also said that they constantly monitor and coordinate with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel on prisoners who had been involved in murder cases.

For their community affairs development, Parilla said that their recorida (where they announce their message through a vehicle with a sound system that goes around a certain area in the city),  barangay visitation, and distribution of crime prevention tips continue. 

In the investigation part, he also said that they were fast-tracking the filing of cases of arrested persons involved in murder cases.

Focus on police investigations

For Cebu province where three women were shot dead last month, Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, Cebu Police Provincial Office chief, said that they would work harder in the investigations of these cases so as not to leave these cases hanging.

“We are very saddened by such incidents. These incidents, we still consider these as isolated considering that they have their own unique stories,” Soriano said.

“Sa part ng law enforcement, hindi po namin pababayaan ang investigation, ma identify yung mga suspects,” Soriano said.

(On the part of law enforcement, we will not leave the investigation so that the suspects will be identified.)

Recently, Soriano told his police station chiefs to adjust to the illegal activities of the criminals.

He was then referring to the police deployment plans which he believed needed to be re-evaluated following the recent killing of a Minglanilla couple, who was believed to have been abducted and robbed of P10 million cash and jewelry and whose bodies were found inside their vehicle in San Fernando town in southern Cebu.

Cebu City shooting incidents in June

The first shooting incident in Cebu City last month happened on June 7 when a lapida maker who was killed by a certain “Eddie Boy” because he allegedly failed to deliver a headstone the latter ordered on time.

Carl Eric Garces, 30, died from bullet wounds on his body.

READ: Lapida maker killed for failing to deliver headstone on time

Police Major Eraño Regidor, station chief of the Sawang Calero Police Station, said they were waiting for the warrant of arrest against the suspect.

Regidor said that they, however, continued to monitor the activities of the person of interest in the case.

On June 16, two men were shot by a lone gunman at the Chinese Cemetery in Barangay Carreta.  One of them died on the spot while the other one died the next day at the hospital in Cebu City.

The gunman, Manuel Ylaya, surrendered to the police on June 17 and admitted to killing his cousin, Richard Tunacao, and Arvin Sarsalejo, Tunacao’s companion.

Police Executive Master Sergeant Antonio Din of the Mabolo Police Station said two murder cases were already filed against Ylaya.

READ: Bothered by his conscience, Chinese Cemetery shooting suspect ‘surrenders’

On June 17, Josephine Rollon, was killed by still unidentified assailants inside her house in Sitio San Juan in Barangay Mambaling.

Police Executive Master Sergeant Jeffrey Larrobis of the Mambaling Police Station said Rollon’s killing could be related to the killing of a certain Abner Sumadia, who was killed four days later or on June 21 in Sitio Bliss in the same barangay.

Their initial investigation showed that Rollon’s gunman had similar physical features to that of Larrobis’ killer.

However, Mambaling police had found it difficult to keep the investigation moving because of the non-cooperation of residents and witnesses in the area.

READ: Cop appeals to ‘Barrio Ambot’ residents: Help us catch killer

The sixth shooting victim in Cebu City in June was Raymart Bacalso, 28, of Talisay City. Bacalso was shot dead by unidentified assailants in a dark corner of  Sta. Lucia Cabancalan I in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City at past 8 p.m. of June 26.

Pardo Police Station Chief Caesar Acompanado said that they already had the names of the assailants but they still did not know their whereabouts.

READ: Talisay City resident killed over P2k unpaid debt

Shooting attacks in Cebu Province

The shootings in Cebu province included the June 18 killing of a couple, who were reported as missing and abducted and who were found dead inside their car that was parked along the road in Barangay Tananas in San Fernando town in southern Cebu.

CPPO Chief Soriano said they had yet to identify the suspects behind the killing of the couple Arlene and Gavino Sanchez.

Soriano recently said that they were considering all the possible motives in their ongoing investigation of the case.

READ: ‘Abducted’ couple from Minglanilla town found dead in San Fernando, Cebu

On June 24, pedicab driver, Jose Recta, 43, was also found dead in Tuburan town with a bullet wound on his body.

As of this writing, police continued to investigate the killing of the driver, a senior citizen.

On June 26, at past 8 p.m. in Purok II, Upper San Isidro in San Fernando town, a certain Wendell Villarubin was shot in the head by Rodel Mahinay, whom police shot dead the next day in San Fernando town where he allegedly tried to shoot arresting policemen.

READ: San Fernando cops kill armed shooting suspect in Brgy. Balud

On June 29, in Consolacion town, two unidentified assailants shot dead a woman and wounded her husband.

The assailants barged into the couple’s house and shot them.

Police were investigating if the shooting incident was due to a “land dispute.”

On June 30, a 47-year-old woman, Leonora Fuentes, was killed by an unidentified gunman while she was reportedly doing a land survey in Barangay Valencia in Carcar City.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Allan Rosario, Carcar City Police Station chief, said that they had a person of interest in the shooting incident.

READ: Woman killed in attach over land dispute, husband injured

Police visibility, discipline zones

Recently, Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas chief, said that police visibility and having discipline zones were among the programs included in their Enhanced Managing Police Operation to deter shootings in the region.

EMPO is an approach of the Philippine National Police in strengthening their anti-criminality campaign, reducing prevalent crimes, and improving public safety nationwide.

/dbs