Tomas dared: Name source of threat info

CEBU, Philippines — Before the police can even start validating what Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said were threats to his life, the city police director said they need to know first where the mayor’s information came from.

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma said this is part of the police process on verifying threats.

“Sino ba ang source of information? Baka may bias yan,” she told reporters in an interview at the Cebu City Police Office yesterday.

“I need to know the source because we could also start there the validation. Kaya nga kung may allegations sa police namin, we always go back to the intelligence report or the source of the information.”

Garma did not discount the possibility that the chief executive may have been fed with wrong information.

Told of Garma’s statements, Osmeña stood pat on his decision never to reveal his sources.

The CCPO director’s remarks came on the heels of Osmeña’s recent pronouncements that when Garma took the reins as police director, she allegedly brought in with her cops whose mission included killing Osmeña. Osmeña upped the ante by dropping the names of these cops in an interview with reporters Monday.

“There is this guy — I keep forgetting his name — Barandog. (Chuck Barandog? What about him, Mayor?) He is my suspect in the shooting of Lozano and the other one… He is with CIDG, when Garma was chief of CIDG. When Garma transferred to Cebu City police, he brought him along, and I asked her to get rid of him. Now I’m asking her again publicly to get rid of him,” he said.

Yesterday, Garma belied such accusations.

“Wala, hindi totoo. Hindi ko alam bakit may pangalan. Na-validate ko na nga kaya wala. Hindi ko alam na may pulis na binanggit, except doon sa sinabi, which is hindi totoo,” she said.

The FREEMAN contacted Chief Inspector Chuck Barandog via a text message yesterday, asking if he can comment on the allegations but he opted to receive a copy of a formal complaint first before issuing any statements.

“Give me a copy then from there I’ll comment on that… I’ll comment as long as I can see the evidence,” his text message read.

Asked if she was disappointed with Osmeña’ name-dropping, Garma said she had already anticipated the mayor’s move because of her “aggressive” campaign against all forms of illegal drugs.

“This is it, it’s happening, and I will continue with my programs whether I will be judged negatively. I don’t care so long as I will be doing my job and nandiyan ang suporta ng community,” she said.

She added that she is not worried if the current situation would stain the police’s relationship with local elective officials.

“I am here to make sure the people of Cebu City and people visiting Cebu City will be safe, and I am not here to please a specific group a specific person,” she said.

Garma said she does not see the statements of Osmeña as an attack on the Philippine National Police organization, but rather an attack on their fight to cleanse the country from drugs and make the city peaceful.

Garma also pointed out that when she roamed around the city unannounced as a cop, the locals, such as taho vendors, drivers, and others on the streets, told her that they agreed to the war on drugs.

“They (in reference to majority) like what is happening. But sino ba papansin sa taxi driver, sa nagbebenta ng mangga? But the statement of the people we elected, people with authority, yun lang ang nalabas. But he (Osmeña) is just the minority. The majority is the silent people on the streets, nagtatrabaho…mao ang tinuod nga nakahibalo,” she said.

Source within police?

Osmeña, who has been vocal on his belief that police may have a hand in the recent killings in Cebu, yesterday refused to name the sources of his information about the supposed presence of “hitmen” from Negros Oriental and the sender of his death threats.

He said he does not know the senders of the information but believes it could have come from the police, from someone who “does not like the series of killings in Cebu right now.”

“Now remember, the threat said the police didn’t like the idea. That means the source came from the police,” he said.

The mayor said he will not coordinate with the police on any information he has because they might trace the informants.

Osmeña added that police merely want to know who leaked him the information about the supposed plot to kill himself, City Councilor David Tumulak, and Tejero councilman Jessielou Cadungog.

“Why will I coordinate with them? They are the suspects. That’s why they’re trying to find out where the leak is coming from. As a matter of fact, when I got the first threat, I didn’t pay attention to it, me and Cadungog. But I told Cadungog to let him know. And he was ambushed. And if I did not tell him, he wouldn’t be paranoid. Probably, he would be shot by now,” he said. (FREEMAN)