Rama should be alarmed
The chief of the Ozamiz City Police Station believes that former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama should be alarmed of the recent threat to his life – if he was indeed involved in illegal drugs.
President Rodrigo Duterte has tagged Rama as a drug protector, something that Rama has since denied.
“Actually, ma-alarma gyud daan siya kung siya naggamit ug na-involve siya sa drugs. Dapat ma-alarma gyud daan siya,” Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido told The FREEMAN in an interview.
A tarpaulin draped on a skywalk in Barangay Basak San Nicolas showed Rama's image encircled along with the words, “Ikaw sunod (You are next).”
The tarpaulin featured a February 2016 photo of Rama administering the oath of Rolando Espinosa, then mayor of Albuera, Leyte.
Also in the photo were lawyer and Ronda Vice Mayor Jonnah John Ungab, the lawyer of Espinosa's son, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin, whom Duterte also tagged as a bigtime drug lord in Eastern Visayas.
The faces of Espinosa and Ungab were marked with an “X.” The two are now dead.
Espenido, while still the chief of the Albuera police, has also filed a complaint against Espinosa and Ungab.
He believes, though, that the tarpaulin may have been a political maneuvering.
“Ngano ingon ana man pud na? Lisud, wa ta kasabot… daghan paagi, either iya kontra sa pulitika, gihadlok siya, kay ang tawo kung patyon, patyon gyud na, dili kay ingon anaon og tarpaulin… obvious kaayo na nga harassment,” Espenido said.
He said, though, that unlike the Parojinogs in Ozamiz City who were tagged by over 200 street level drug pushers as their bosses, no one has pointed to Rama in Cebu, so far.
CHR
Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) – 7 is calling on the police to track down the people behind the threat to Rama.
CHR-7 Investigation Section head Leo Villarino said authorities should not wait for another person to fall into the hands of those behind the killings in Cebu, which recently claimed Ungab's life.
“We urge the police to find who are responsible for the tarpaulin posting. There should be somebody behind this one. I don't think this is just a coincidence. That should be looked into and not leave it disregarded and not wait for the following morning that you wake up and hear another killing,” Villarino said.
“This sends a wrong signal. It is bordering on threat. This rather causes a chilling effect. It is disturbing. That should be explained since there are results (of actual killings),” he said.
CHR-7 has opened an inquiry into Ungab's ambush. A team has been sent to interview Ungab's family and to coordinate with agencies handling the case.
“Lisod pud alang sa komisyon nga magpakahilom lang pud (It's hard for CHR-7 to be silent),” Villarino said.
“We are hoping that we might stumble into some evidences that will help in the case. Along with the police and NBI, CHR7 will be working hand in hand with them in the investigation,” he said.
“This could be a drug related incident, but we are not making conclusions yet. Kerwin and his father are high-value targets. We can see, somehow, there is connection and this is what we are going to find out,” he added.