Cebu cop stations found breaching PNP security alert

CEBU — The Cebu police command has received a report from its Internal Affairs Service (IAS) that most municipal police stations in the province were found breaching the security alert with policemen abandoning their posts or sleeping on duty.

This, despite the nationwide "red alert" imposed by the Philippine National Police during the Holy Week to thwart any acts of terrorism or possible attacks from the New People’s Army which is marking its 36th anniversary on March 29.

Upon the request of acting provincial police director Vicente Loot, the IAS conducted over the weekend a surprise inspection of 16 police stations in southern Cebu, from the coastal town of Dumanjug town to Sibonga.

Superintendent Daniel Sales, IAS director, was surprised to find all police stations there were vulnerable to attacks with most of their men literally acting "as if they were in the comfort of their own homes" such as sleeping on duty, manning police stations in domestic clothes or even abandoning their posts.

The only exception was the Badian police. Sales cited town police chief Rodrigo Orbigozo who was at his station in complete uniform last Saturday, along with four of his personnel. However, two other policemen on duty were not around.

The IAS team found nothing unusual in the Dalaguete police station because all of the five policemen detailed there were present during the inspection and in proper uniform. Their police chief, however, was not around.

According to the IAS report, the worst was the Oslob police. Sales was able photograph two policemen, SPO1 Narciso Ysao and PO3 Allan Kintanar, sleeping in civilian clothes. A third policeman, who was supposed to be on duty, was nowhere to be found.

In Dumanjug, only one policeman, who was wearing half of his uniform and slippers, was manning the police station, while his three on-duty colleagues were not around.

In Ronda town, only two of five on-duty policemen were present last Saturday. Their police chief was not there, too.

Only three of five policemen detailed in the Alcantara police station were present during the inspection, and they were not wearing uniforms.

In Alegria, the police chief was not around, but the policemen on duty were all present. The only thing questionable was that the station had two police blotters, a violation of police rules.

Only two of three policemen on duty at the Ginatilan police station were present, yet both were in civilian clothes, short pants and slippers.

Samboan police chief Marlon Gumabao was present during the inspection, but he was wearing an athletic uniform and slippers, while only three of his five on-duty policemen were around.

The IAS team also found several empty bottles of rum inside the Samboan police station, raising speculations that the policemen there could have been drinking while on duty.

Only three policemen, all in plain clothes, were found manning the Santander police station, while in Alcoy town, only three of the six on-duty policemen were present, one of them found sleeping.

In Argao town, the police chief was not around, and two of the four policemen supposedly on duty just stayed on the second floor, while an errand boy slept at the ground floor.

In Sibonga, there were five policemen on duty, but all were not in complete uniform.

With the IAS’ findings, Sales recommended to Loot that all the town police chiefs who were nowhere to be found in their respective stations during the inspection be required to explain and meted appropriate sanctions if they fail to give valid reasons for their absence. — Freeman News Service