Osmeña accuses police of “cover up” in Yballe’s killing

Sinas                                                                                        Osmeña

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña challenged the narrative of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) on the death of Police Corporal Feliciano Yballe Jr. of the Cebu City Mobile Force Company, who was said to have died from a “misencounter” with fellow policemen past midnight on May 1.

In a Facebook post at 4 p.m. today, May 4, Osmeña claimed that the PRO-7 is trying to cover up the real reason why Yballe was killed.

Osmeña said that the cover up attempt resulted to a “conflict”  between Cebu City and Cebu province policemen.

“Because of the murder of (Police Master Sergeant  Junard) Cinco and now the attempted coverup (the killing of Yballe), there is conflict between City and Provincial police. The leadership is doing their best to hide it, but many of the rank and file police in the Provincial force are angry with the death of Cinco and the declaration of a “misencounter,”” Osmeña said in a Facebook post at 4 p.m. today.

CDN Digital tried to reach Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas; Police Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Abrugena, director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO); and Police Colonel Royina Garma, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) for comment but the three officials failed to issue their statements on Osmeña’s allegations.

Osmeña further alleged on his Fb post that Yballe, whose body was cremated at the Cosmopolitan funeral homes in Nivel this afternoon, May 4, was a “tirador” (gunman) for self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones.

He added that Yballe was also connected with Jerome Labitad, a gun-for-hire who is said to be working for Sabalones. This information is something that “should be looked into,” the mayor added.

Osmeña said that what he is sharing to the Cebuanos are information that came from credible sources.

“This info is coming from the same sources who – 8 out of 8 – named ALL the Talamban DEU personnel who were caught on CCTV hitting a baby and stealing from the baby’s mother. To this day, they have been “relieved” but kept out of sight by CCPO and PRO-7. Garma herself has threatened to sue one of the victims. In addition to this, she put out a gag order prohibiting media to talk to anyone in police custody,” said Osmeña, who spoke for the first time on the killing of Yballe in his residence in the mountain Barangay of Sudlon 2 past midnight on Wednesday.

Read More: CCPO to probe Talamban cops for ‘police brutality’ caught on video

Police Captain Alejandro Batobalonos, chief of the Provincial Intelligence Branch -Drug Enforcement Unit (PIB-DEU) said in an interview on Wednesday morning that Yballe was behind the killing of Cinco, who is assigned with PIB-DEU, on Tuesday morning,  a revelation which Police Brigadier Debold Sinas corrected.

Read More: Sinas sends tracker teams to go after Toledo City cop killers

Sinas said in a separate interview on Thursday morning that Yballe was killed in a “miscounter” with PIB-DEU personnel.

Read More: Sinas: Corporal Yballe died in a misencounter with fellow police officer

At least 18 members of the PIB-DEU including its leader, Batobalonos, were ordered recalled from the team following Yballe’s death.

“There is a cover-up ordered because of this. That is why the police changed their story within 24 hours. Remember that Sinas is the same general who said that the policeman suspected of killing the PDEA agent accidentally shot himself twice and is “dead but in stable condition,”” said Osmeña’s FB post.

Osmeña was referring to the case of  the late Police Master Sergeant Roderick Balili whom Sinas said sustained a bullet wound after he accidentally shot himself while doing a surveillance operation in Pinamungahan town.

Read More: Balili dies

Balili was said to be one of the suspects in the ambush of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Von Rian Tecson in Carcar City on August 2018./dcb