Strafing in Cebu City ‘does not warrant change of status’

CEBU Provincial Election Supervisor Jerome Brillantes said there is no need for Cebu City to be placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) following the strafing of the houses of three mountain barangay captains.

This, as Cebu City Councilor Franklin Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils, said he is worried about the safety of the village chiefs after the incidents.

He said the police should create a task force that will investigate the incidents that occured on April 3 and 4.

As of Friday, April 5, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has not identified any suspect in the strafing of the houses of the village chiefs of Sudlon 2, Sinsin and Malubog. All three are allies of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Lest they are accused of politicking, Police Lt. Colonel Wilbert Parilla, chief of CCPO’s Operations Branch, said they are being extra cautious in investigating the strafing.

They will conduct a background check on the three village chiefs to determine a possible motive.

Since they could not conclude yet that the incident was election-related, Parilla said it’s not necessary to place the entire city under Comelec control for now.

Osmeña had asked that the City be placed under Comelec control, believing the strafing incidents were related to the upcoming elections.

Parilla said the situation still has to be assessed by the PNP.

In an interview on Friday, April 5, Brillantes said that for a town or city to be placed under Comelec control, there should be enough grounds such as the presence of goons.

“For now, we do not see that in Cebu City,” he said.

The City is on yellow alert status in the Comelec’s Election Watchlist Areas. It is the lowest alert level in the classification for areas where there is intense political rivalry.