In Bohol, Dumpit looked forward to retirement
SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, a decorated marksman, had pictured Bohol as his ideal retirement place.
In a Facebook post in August 2016, he said he would like to retire in Bohol because it was peaceful and he would never go hungry, what with its kind people inviting him to so many meals.
About 22 months after his post, Dumpit met his end in Bohol. He died in an alleged shootout with operatives from the Regional Intelligence Division of Police Regional Office 7 and National Bureau of Investigation 7-Bohol.
At 54, he was two years away from retirement. He celebrated his birthday last May 13.
In July 2016, rumors spread that Dumpit was killed in an ambush. This time, they were more than rumors. A Facebook user wrote: “I’m so skeptical about his death.” “Live by gun. Die by gun,” said another.
His death turned up in many conversations yesterday.
“Dumpit was a nice person to be around. He was just a regular person. He had a rough exterior, but he was soft-spoken and didn’t raise his voice. He even looked down when you talked to him,” said Cebu City Mayor Tomas OsDumpit meña, who once had Dumpit for his close-in security aide.
The mayor said that the last time they saw each other was when he assigned Dumpit to sit as caretaker of Barangay Ermita following a crisis, and to secure a road rage victim.
Not long after, Dumpit was sent to the Bohol Provincial Police office.
“After that, I lost touch with him. Then I heard he was in Bohol but I did not look for him because I thought maybe he wants to rest there,” Osmeña said.
What of the NBI and police’s claim that Dumpit had fallen into the illegal drug trade?
“There’s always a possibility with the circumstances he was in, but who am I to speculate? I really feel bad, the whole (Osmeña) family feels bad about this. I did what I could to help him. As a matter of fact, I was trying to convince him to plead guilty, if only for him to be released. His sentence has been served in full,” he said.
Dumpit was out in bail while his homicide conviction was on appeal. He had shot and killed robbery suspect Ronron Go in 2004. For that, he spent some six years in jail.
Osmeña also pointed out that Dumpit recently sought the help of Councilor Dave Tumulak because he was having financial problems.
Speculations
“If he’s a level two drug lord, why does he need money? Trying to pull Dave down? I don’t think so. There are questions but right now, we will just see what we can do. I can always say that he loved Cebu and he served the city well. Maybe it was true or maybe it was not (drug allegations),” he said.
Although they have been legally separated since 2009, Dumpit’s estranged wife Josephine believes that the reports against the policeman are “mere speculations.”
Josephine, who is an employee of the Cebu City Treasurer’s Office, found out about her ex-husband’s death from her colleagues at work yesterday morning. They have a 24-year-old son. Josephine left for Bohol yesterday to bring Dumpit’s remains to Cebu. His wake will be in the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes on Junquera St.
Aside from their biological son, the two have a 12-year-old adopted daughter, whom Dumpit took with him to Bohol following his reassignment.
Former mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella also extended their condolences to Dumpit’s family.
In a 2014 interview with SunStar Cebu, after his homicide conviction, Dumpit described what happened to him as bad luck. He recalled he had killed eight persons and disabled 20 others with criminal records, as part of work. He said he sometimes dreamed about them.