CEBU, Philippines – Uniformed police personnel and patrollers were ordered to secure the areas around the Hall of Justice and Regional Trial Courts in the cities of Bayawan, Tanjay, Bais and Guihulngan in Negros Oriental.
Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office director, Senior Superintendent Dionardo Carlos, said Governor Roel Degamo’s directive was to assign policemen at regular standby points in these courts, following the killing of lawyer Ramon Eduardo Elesteria outside the RTC in Bayawan City by two gunmen more than two weeks ago.
Policemen will be on standby around the premises of these courts in four cities, instead of putting up a permanent police outpost, as earlier request by RTC Executive Judge Gerardo Paguio Jr.
Carlos explained that establishing a static force within the premises would not be feasible because the police has to attend also to other requests for assistance thus resulting in an empty outposts most of the time.
The deployment of policemen came after the NOrPPO and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Negros Oriental chapter agreed to conduct a “Be Your Own Bodyguard” (BYOB) training program for all lawyers and other interested professionals that would help secure themselves, considering that the police would not be at all times visible.
Under the BYOB program, participants will be taught on how to assess existing threats and deal with it, before the police could respond to calls for assistance, said the police official. (FREEMAN)