DUTERTE DID IT

THROWBACK 2015. Tomas Osmeña, then a former mayor, shared a light moment with his friend, then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte before the latter’s press conference at the Adnama Building in Mandaue City on May 11, 2015 (CDN FILE PHOTO)

Napolcom official reveals who took away Osmeña’s police power

Did President Rodrigo Duterte give the order to strip Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña of his authority over the city police?

This much was hinted at yesterday by lawyer Homer Mariano Cabaral, director of the National Police Commission in Central Visayas (Napolcom-7), when he said the mayor was barking up the wrong tree when the latter lambasted Napolcom for taking away his control over the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

“Just talk to President (Rodrigo) Duterte,” said Cabaral in an interview yesterday.

Cabaral said he did not want to aggravate the issue with Osmeña but he needed to clarify some points that, he said, the mayor might have misunderstood.

It was then that Cabaral hinted that the order to revoke Osmeña’s deputization as Napolcom’s representative over the CCPO came from the President.

Cabaral said it was lawyer Rogelio Casurao, vice chairman of Napolcom, who indirectly told him that President Duterte himself made the decision to recall Osmeña’s supervision and control over the local police.

“Attorney Casurao told me that the person who revoked something is the only one who can restore it,” Cabaral said.

He said Osmeña need not file a motion for reconsideration before Napolcom to get back his authority over the local police.

“Just go straight to the President. He (Duterte) alone can decide whether or not to give the mayor back his Napolcom deputization,” Cabaral said.

Osmeña earlier said he planned to file a motion for reconsideration before the Napolcom. But the mayor later said it was no longer his priority now.

Cebu City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez also said yesterday that there was no order from the mayor to draft the motion of reconsideration.

Cebu Daily News tried to get Osmeña’s comment on Cabaral’s announcement that he should talk to President Duterte, but to no avail.

Last August 10, the Napolcom en banc passed a resolution, taking back the authority of the mayor over the local police as deputized representative of the Napolcom. The resolution was signed by Interior Secretary Ismael Sueño, a close ally of the President, as Napolcom head.

All six members of the en banc voted to withdraw Osmeña’s deputization as Napolcom representative.

“It was a unanimous decision…,” Cabaral said.

He said Napolcom did not take any shortcuts and thoroughly went through the process before it reached the decision on Osmeña’s case.

When Osmeña publicly announced in July that he would no longer support Cebu City policemen, Cabaral said they immediately conducted an investigation based on Napolcom Memorandum Circular 2001-003, which grants them the authority to launch a probe motu propio.

Results of the investigation were forwarded to the Napolcom en banc in Manila, which formed as a basis for its decision on Aug. 10.

“Trabaho lang ni ato (We’re just doing our job). There’s no political or personal motive behind this,” Cabaral said.

When Napolcom-7 conducted an investigation, Cabaral said he included news reports on Osmeña who, angered by the relief of police officers he was closely working with in the anti-illegal drugs campaign, decided to stop certain city assistance to the police, including the gasoline allocation for police cars.

“I’m a Cebuano and I don’t want to put our policemen in jeopardy. As the Napolcom director in Central Visayas, I want to make sure our PNP (Philippine National Police) performs well and gets the support they needed,” he said.

Cabaral said the Cebu City government has been and should have continued to be a big help to the city police, considering its resources.

In his report, he said, he also pointed out that the 80 vehicles currently used by the CCPO are owned by the Cebu City government. Only at least 10 vehicles were given by Camp Crame.

“I included the good things the city government has done for the police. But despite that, Napolcom en banc still ruled against the mayor,” Cabaral said.

“If I had an ill-motive against the mayor, what will I get in return?” he added.

Osmeña on Thursday expressed suspicion over the motives of Cabaral, saying the Napolcom-7 director might have an axe to grind against him.

He said Cabaral’s wife ran for barangay captain in Duljo-Fatima years ago, but he did not support her.

Osmeña also criticized Cabaral for not doing something to neutralize or arrest Central Visayas’ top drug personality, Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, who was eventually killed by police in Las Piñas City last June 17.

Cabaral said he lives in Barangay Duljo-Fatima but his residence is located more than 500 meters away from the compound where Jaguar lived.

Located much to Jaguar’s house, Cabaral said, is the residence of Cebu City south district Rep. Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa, an ally of Osmeña, who also failed to arrest or neutralize Jaguar.

“What he [Osmeña] is harping about is beyond the issue [of his withdrawal of support to the local police and the decision of Napolcom en banc to no longer grant him authority over Cebu City policemen],” he said.

“Why doesn’t the mayor talk to the President? Only President Duterte can give him back his authority over the police,” he reiterated.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), earlier said Osmeña has the right to contest the cancellation of his authority over the police.

“But, we, in the PNP just leave it to Napolcom. They have the say on the matter. Cebu City policemen will continue doing their job nevertheless,” Taliño said.

Osmeña earlier expressed displeasure over the relief of key police officers in both Cebu City and the PRO-7 that he had considered his allies in the fight against illegal drugs.

As a result, he refused to acknowledge the newly appointed city police director, Senior Supt. Joel Doria.

He also announced the suspension of the cash allowances for new CCPO personnel, including the P8,000 monthly allowance given to the city police chief.

Within days after Doria assumed office last month, Osmeña likewise washed his hands of the fight against illegal drugs and criminality and recalled the firearms issued by the city government to city policemen; stopped the gasoline allocation for police patrol cars; and halted the release of 15 new police cars that were already due to be delivered to CCPO.