Will Osmeña lose his police powers?

Will Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña lose his police powers for the second time in two years?

National Police Commission (Napolcom) Vice Chairman Rogelio Casurao said they still have to review the complaints filed by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) against the local chief executive before stripping him of his supervisory powers.

Osmeña is facing multiple complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for releasing three men allegedly involved in refilling butane canisters with liquefied petroleum gas last month.

“This is an adverse report but again we have a process on how to go about this. It takes a lot of validation... because we don’t want to be biased,” Casurao said.

CCPO investigators charged Osmeña with obstruction of justice, grave abuse of authority, misconduct, and violation of Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Casurao said one of the bases in revoking a local executive’s police power is his poor performance in preventing crimes.

Osmeña had also accused the police of being involved in some killings in the past months, but Casurao said it is the mayor’s opinion, adding that empirical evidence is needed to prove his claim.

In August 2016, Napolcom stripped Osmeña of his power to supervise the local police after he stopped giving allowances to the city police officers.

A month later, Napolcom gave back Osmeña’s police powers after he vowed to continue supporting CCPO.

Napolcom had stripped Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot and slain Ronda Mayor Mariano Blanco III of their authority over their respective local police forces after they were included in the narco-list of President Duterte.

Section 64 of Republic Act (RA) 8551 (Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998) states: “Governors and mayors, upon having been elected and living qualified as such, are automatically deputized as representatives of the National Police Commission in their respective jurisdiction.”

Casurao was the guest of honor of Police Rregional Office 7’s closing activity of the 24th National Crime Prevention Week held in Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City yesterday.

He said preventing crime much better than solving it.

“Crime solution, of course, is inferior to crime prevention because if you prevent something there is nothing to solve,” Casurao said.

The official said most of the crimes that happened were related to illegal drugs as some perpetrators were drug users.

Labella

Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella hopes that the power to supervise the police force in the city will not be removed from Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

“I hope it will not happen,” he told reporters.

The stripping of the police power of the mayor is counterproductive, Labella said.

“The job of peace and order is everybody’s job,” he said.

If ever the authority to supervise the police will be stripped from the mayor, Labella said it can’t be designated to the vice mayor either.

Labella said the mayor should convene the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council to allow the City Government to coordinate with different agencies including the police.

Crime solution, of course, is inferior to crime prevention because if you prevent something there is nothing to solve. ROGELIO CASURAO National Police Commission Vice Chairman