‘P50T for every criminal cops kill’

CEBU, Philippines - They did not belong to the same party (although white and blue ballers pairing their names were seen during the elections last May 9), but Cebu City Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña and presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte share a common ground:  They do not give criminals the middle ground.

Yesterday, Osmeña said he will give a P50,000 reward to any police officers who can kill criminals, as his way of protecting victims of crimes.

Good thing for suspected robbers Nestor Benavinte of Barangay Cogon, Ozamis City and Armand de la Cerna of Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City, who both suffered gunshot wounds, that Police Office 3 Julius Regis, a City Intelligence Branch operative, did not get the memo.

Regis shot and wounded Benavinte and dela Cerna after he happened to see them sped away after they robbed two jeepney passengers shortly before noon yesterday along Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City.

Regis was onboard his motorcycle when saw three suspicious-looking persons drive away on a motorcycle after two of them alighted from a jeepney along Gorordo Avenue near Kia Motors.

He asked jeepney passenger Bernardita Barbosa, 65, what had happened and was told that she and another passenger were robbed by the three men.

He then gave chase but he lost sight of the three men at the junction near Asilo de la Milagrosa. After few minutes observing the area, however, he again saw the suspects on board their motorcycle, this time on the opposite lane and headed for Archbishop Reyes Avenue.

Regis said it could be that the men made a U-turn near the Cebu City Police Office headquarters and decided to escape by heading towards the Banilad area.

Regis said he followed the three men and shouted, “Hunong, pulis ko (Stop, I’m a cop)”, but one of them allegedly pulled out a pistol, prompting him to stop his motorcycle, draw out his gun, and fire.

He said he hit the two passengers but the driver, who was not wounded, managed to escape, leaving his wounded companions behind near the Ayala terminal.

Although wounded, Benavinte managed to ride a jeepney to Banilad, where he disembarked outside a subdivision and managed to get inside one of the residences.

De la Cerna, on the other hand, was brought to a nearby hospital by paramedics Regis called for assistance.

Chief Inspector Wildemar Tiu, Mabolo Police Station chief, said in an interview said that his men responded to a call from a subdivision security guard requesting for assistance because an injured person broke into one of the homes there.

Tiu said that after paramedics treated Dela Cerna’s wound, he declined their offer to send him to a hospital, asking instead that he be brought to the pier area.

The police, though, arrived by then and when they saw that Dela Cerna had a gunshot wound they escorted him to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for immediate medical treatment.

Authorities later on recovered a sweatshirt and a 9mm pistol at the garden of the house where he broke in.

In an interview, Regis told The FREEMAN that he was on his way home after the end of his shift but decided to go after the three men when he learned what they did.

Cebu City Police Office Director Benjamin Santos said he would work on Regis’ immediate promotion for his selfless and heroic act.

Osmeña, on the other hand, said he came up with the idea of a P50,000 reward to fight crime in the city.

“I’m pro-life. Don’t you understand what I am trying to do?  We have the highest murder rate in the Philippines. I want to stop that.  How come everyone talks about protecting criminals?  How about the victims of the criminals?” the incoming mayor said.

During a press conference yesterday held at the office of Acting Mayor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, the incoming mayor’s wife, Osmeña said that since the city’s crime rate has increased “alarmingly” and that adherence to the law has become weak, he is in favor of reinstating the death penalty in the Philippines.

“It’s very simple: Ang mga tawo dili makahatag og respeto sa pulis.  Nawala gyud ang ilang kahadlok sa reinforcement, kinahanglang mobalik gyud,” Osmeña said, adding that his administration would also focus on illegal drugs.

He even said “there are many barangay officials who are involved with drugs.” He cited one particular Cebu City barangay but The FREEMAN is withholding this detail pending comment from its officials.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Patrocinio Comendador said he welcomes Osmeña’s plan to give incentives to police officers.

“Kining maong incentive-based system nahimo na ni kaniadto when I was city (police) director.  Personally, I believe this is a positive development especially when we are running after hardened criminals,” Comendador said.

The Police Regional Office-7 director said giving his men incentives will boost their morale as the thought that a reward awaits them for doing their job right would be added motivation.

He, however, reminded police officers that they should act within the limit of the law, otherwise they would also end up facing charges.

An incentive system, Comendador said, is also one way of encouraging “police officers to go out on the streets and arrest criminals”. –(FREEMAN)