TWO weeks after remitting about 223 unlicensed firearms to the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, the Cebu City Government has already issued some 171 rifles to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Last Aug. 11, aside from pulling out Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s three police escorts, including SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, who has been transferred to Bohol, the PRO 7 ordered the City to surrender to the police all its 249 unlicensed firearms, for safekeeping.
In a teleconference last Aug. 17, Osmeña told reporters that the City will heed PRO 7’s orders and in fact, has sent the first batch of weapons to the police a day before the phone interview.
“Last week, we issued 22 shotguns, 10 rifles from SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) and 79 short firearms. Yesterday, (Aug. 30), we turned over 60 firearms. CCPO sent personnel here to pick up the weapons,” said General Services Office (GSO) officer-in-charge Ronald Malacora.
Before the rifles were given to the CCPO, they had to undergo inspection to check which were still operational and which needed repair.
Out of the 249 City-owned unlicensed firearms listed by the Philippine National Police, 26 were not returned to City Hall.
Based on GSO’s inventory report, Malacora said 11 of the 26 rifles were issued to policemen who are at the moment, untraceable.
“We’re asking assistance from CCPO in locating these policemen. Maybe, they’ve been reassigned to other places,” he said.
Despite this, Malacora said he’s confident that the CCPO will be able to track down these personnel and eventually, get hold of the remaining 11 firearms.
If found, the GSO will send out written recall orders to the said policemen to ask them to surrender their City-issued weapons.
In the event that the policemen will not heed their written order, the City will issue a final demand letter as advised by the City Legal Office.
“There’s a process which will be administered by the Commission on Audit on that. The same with the loss of government-issued firearms, there’s a process that will handle the relief of negligent police personnel,” Malacora said.
Partnership
TO beef up the campaign against criminality, barangay captains recently signed an agreement with the police that will pave the way for the joint efforts of the two parties.
Councilor Philip Zafra said the memorandum of agreement (MOA) formalizes the alliance of the barangays and the police in the fight against criminality, particularly on illegal drugs.
The MOA also creates Oplan Pokemon, which stands for “Pakigbatukan Og Sugpuon ang Krimen ug ang dautang Epekto sa illegal nga drogas nga maoy Makaguba Og makadaut sa Nasud.”
Zafra, who is the president of the Association of Barangay Council (ABC), said 80 barangays were grouped to 11 clusters, with one police station each, which will work together in their anti-criminality campaign.
Yesterday, officers of the 11 clusters took their oath before Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino who served as their inducting officer at the chapel of Police Regional Office (PRO) 7.
Also present during the activity were Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, PRO 7 Director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Senior Supt. Joel Doria.
Meeting
As part of their commitment, the group will meet once a month to evaluate and validate the information relayed by the police and the action taken against it.
“The group will be helpful to the police since information they will get will be direct from the barangays. During their operation also, the barangay will also help the police by giving any forms of assistance,” Zafra said.
Zafra said the CCPO can immediately tap the barangay whenever they carry out any operation in their respective areas.
Doria, for his part, said the creation of clusters in the barangay is beneficial, considering that the barangays know their areas better.
He said they committed to the CCPO that they will help in the next wave of Oplan Tokhang in the private subdivisions.
Doria said they will no longer have a hard time in gaining access to these private places because barangay officials will talk to them first and asked permission on the police operation.
Taliño was elated about the creation of the group, considering that it was his first time to be part of such efforts from the barangays.
The regional director pledged that he will continue monitoring the group to make sure that they’re functional.
