GARGANERA
BEFORE even thinking of extending financial help to Bohol for their peace and order problems, opposition councilor Joel Garganera, head of Cebu City’s Police Advisory Council (PAC), told Mayor Tomas Osmeña to “start within.”
In a resolution approved by the Cebu City Council yesterday, Garganera said that PAC wants a status report on city hall’s logistical support given to the city’s police force which was recalled by the mayor last year, considering recent threats to peace and order.
Equipment and allowances given by the city government to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) were recalled by Mayor Tomas Osmeña in a memorandum dated July 21, 2016.
“Nganong di man na nimo ibalik? Di man na nimo ihatag? Labi na karon with this threat. If you try to make a study og unsay response time sa different police stations in their areas of responsibility, hinay kaayo (ang response),” Garganera said alluding to Osmeña.
(Why are you not giving it back? Especially now that there is a threat. If you try to make a study on the respond time of different police stations, it’s very slow.)
The Council wants a report on 19 vehicles and 76 firearms; as well as an update on the petroleum oil lubricants allocation and allowances for some 321 personnel of the CCPO.
Copies of Garganera’s resolution and PAC’s request will be forwarded to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Visayas (OPAV) and Office of the President.
Garganera said that returning the service firearms and the vehicles to the police was long due considering that it has been 10 months since Osmeña got back his police powers from the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
Last August 10, 2016, Napolcom stripped Osmeña of his control and supervision over the city’s police force after the mayor declared that he would no longer support CCPO in its campaign against illegal drugs.
Garganera said that giving back the firearms and vehicles to the police is a “very legitimate peace and order concern” especially since there is a security threat over the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
In meetings with the different police stations over the last three months, Garganera said, financial assistance and allocation of petroleum were the problems raised.
On the other hand, Osmeña’s offer of a P500,000 financial assistance to the families of four government troopers killed in the Bohol clash plus another P100,000 reward for the tipster in Bohol is an act of meddling with the Boholanos’ affairs, Garganera said.
“If you’re trying to impress that you are really for preserving the peace, the security and safety, it should start within. If you want to be charitable, then you give it first to your police and it’s been 10 months,” the councilor added.
Garganera said that Boholanos are doing their best and if Osmeña will intervene on their affairs, it would seem that their best is not good enough.
“Now we talked about charity, if you’re going to give it to them, what if the Boholanos will tell you, why don’t you give back the firearm and the vehicles nga imong gipangkuha (that you took),” Garganera said./ CNU Intern Adelyn Landiza
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