15 service vehicles from barangays given to police

The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will get new vehicles from City Hall after Acting Mayor Margot Osmeña approved a request from CCPO Director Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

One man’s loss is another one’s gain.

Such describes the fate of barangay officials whose service vehicles were earlier recalled by City Hall for inventory but will no longer have them back as 15 of these vehicles will soon find their way into the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) instead of into the waiting arms of the village officials.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña approved a request from CCPO director Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos for more vehicles for the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) and the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) to help police intensify the fight against criminality.

“Everybody who’s requesting, what we have we can give them. Like the police, they are requesting patrol cars, we have to give them the support that they need,” Osmeña told Cebu Daily News.

Cebu City General Services Office (GSO) head Ronald Malacora said 15 Toyota Hilux units which were among those earlier recalled from the barangays will now be assigned to the MPG while City Hall will find vans for the SWAT.

The vehicles, according to Malacora will be turned over to police after a thorough inspection by GSO to ensure that these are all in good running condition.

Based on GSO records, 197 different types of cars ranging from expensive SUVs to multicabs and buses were assigned to barangay captains and officials. Of the number, only 14 vehicles from nine barangays were not returned by officials who have kept their stand against Osmeña’s recall order.

In a letter to Osmeña, the CCPO director requested for 15 vehicles for MPG and three vans for the SWAT.

“I didn’t give any specifications. Whatever is available, that’s all right for us,” he said.

Santos also asked Osmeña for the loan of handheld radios for two police units while waiting for the delivery of additional radio equipment from Camp Crame to arrive.

CCPO currently has 213 handheld radios issued by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for 1,300 police officers in Cebu City or a ratio of one radio unit for every six policemen.

“Once the radios from Camp Crame arrive, I hope all our policemen in the city will have their own units,” Santos said.

“What we’re asking from the city will surely help us, policemen, in our day-to-day operations. It will even improve the way we work,” added Santos in an interview yesterday.

Santos earlier figured in a controversy after he was alleged to have dismissed Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) chief Supt. Aileen Recla for failing to arrest 47 barangay captains and officials who had refused to return city-issued vehicles.

Santos repeatedly denied ordering the relief of Recla saying that her reassignment to a different unit was normal because she had been with the IDMB for quite some time.

Santos also defended city policemen from accusations of some barangay officials that the city’s police force was being manipulated by Osmeña to go after those who continued to defy Osmeña’s order to return the city-owned vehicles.

The Cebu City police chief said that they abide by the rule of law and will do what is right.

Last June 10, four policemen accompanied GSO employees in enforcing a “citizen’s arrest” against Barangay Labangon Councilman Rodolfo Tabasa over his failure to return a city-owned Toyota Hilux.

Santos said the policemen were there to ensure peace and order and were not being pressured or prodded by Osmeña to run after village officials belonging to Team Rama.