Amid killings, CCPO chief eyes weekly dialogues with Cebu City brgy residents, officials

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano

CEBU CITY, Philippines —The Cebu City Police Office plans to hold weekly dialogues with residents in each of the barangay in Cebu City and this will be held in one venue.

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, CCPO chief, told CDN Digital in an interview that the dialogue would be a perfect place to hear the residents’ complaints and needs and win over the trust of the public.

Soriano said this was also a way to convince residents of cooperating with police by giving information to police when it would come to criminals or suspicious persons living in their areas and bring back peace in the community.

He also said that the dialogue would also be an opportunity to educate the public about the programs of the government.

The planned dialogue was similar to the “Mag Istorya Ta” program that Soriano started last January.

Aside from educating and convincing the public to cooperate with police, for the police, he said, the dialogue would be a chance for them to coordinate with barangay officials on their plans to prevent criminalities in the barangays.

He said the dialogues would also be a part of the intelligence monitoring to identify if there were officials and officers in the barangay, who were criminal protectors.

“Para makita ko ang mga constituents ng barangay at officers, to let them know that if they cuddle or protect criminals in their barangays, they will be treated as criminals too,” said Soriano.

(This is for me to see the constituents of the barangays and the officers. To let them know that if they cuddle or protect criminals in their barangays, they will also be treated as criminals too.)

Read more: Labella assures public: Despite recent killings, Cebu City is safe

The planned dialogues were prompted by the six killings in a week’s time from February 10 until February 15, which included a police officer, who was shot dead during a surveillance operation in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

The policeman, Police Senior Master Sergeant Maximino Macua Jr., a member of the Police Drug Enforcement Group in Central Visayas (PDEG-7), was killed last February 11.

Read more: Who is Police Senior Master Sergeant Macua?

Soriano decided to hold these dialogues since in investigation of the some of the cases whose assailants were unidentified, the police would have a hard time gathering witnesses, who would identify the suspects.

Read more: Murdered taho vendor identified; family seeks justice, appeals for witnesses’ help

Police Senior Master Sergeant Julito Elarcosa, investigator of the case about the killing of a taho vendor in Barangay Cogon Pardo on February 13.

Elarcosa said that the residents near the area of the crime scene might probably know the suspect but refused to talk because they were afraid for their safety.

He said the public had to be informed that they would be given protection whenever they would disclose identities of such persons.

He said that it was necessary for the public to cooperate as they would also be the ones affected when these criminals perform other illegal acts.