Killed cop a good man, worker – PNP, family

PO3 Eugene Calumba took the spotlight through an unfortunate fate.

Last Monday, the bodyguard of Tejero councilman Jessielou Cadungog took him for a hitman and pulled the trigger that ended his life.

The Police Regional Office - 7 has since denied Calumba was a hitman and said that at the time of the incident, he and police asset Michael Banua just came from surveillance work.

Calumba, the office said, did not even have a derogatory record.

“As for now, we are mourning for the death of one of our comrades. Right now, we have our flag at a half-mast to show that we mourn for one of us. We stand by our findings as pronounced by our director that it was surveillance,

though it went wrong… namatay ang atoang kauban,” said PRO-7 spokesperson Reyman Tolentin.

“He has a very good record as a police officer. If you say hitman, dead men tell no tales so di na siya kadepensa… he is one of us and we are mourning for his loss. If you will say hitman siya, we will not believe that for the moment,” he added.

WORK

The second and only son, Calumba hailed from Guihulngan in Negros Oriental and earned his criminology degree from the Negros Oriental State University.

He joined the police service in December 2008 with the 701st Maneuver Company as his first assignment.

He spent most of his career in Negros Oriental until in March this year where he was transferred to the Cebu Provincial Police Office and, a month later, to the Pari-an Police Station as part of its drug enforcement unit.

In the first week of June, he was transferred to the Police Regional Office - 4 in Calabarzon, but was pulled back to the Cebu City Police Office later in the month. His last assignment on record was the Traffic Patrol Group of the Cebu City Police Office given to him on July 5.

Tolentin, however, told The FREEMAN that he was actually reassigned to the Pari-an Police Station just last week and the regional office has not updated its records just yet.

For almost 10 years, Calumba received several awards – the Medalya ng Paglilingkod sa Visayas on February 2016, Medalya ng Papuri on March 2015, Medalya ng Kagalingan on November 2014, Medalya ng Papuri on October 2014, Medalya ng Papuri on April 2014, and Medalya ng Pagtulong sa Nasalanta on August 2013.

His supervisor at the Pari-an Police Station, Chief Insp. Kenneth Paul Albotra, said Calumba was battalion commander during his trainee years, which explained his "exemplary" skills.

"Sa iya batch niya siya battalion commander so makita nimo unsa siya klase nga pulis… naa siya personality nga exemplary," he said.

JUSTICE

Calumba’s family is seeking for justice.

His wife, Rosemarie, said they are bent on pursuing the charges against the gunman.

“Mu-file mi og kaso sa nakapatay niya. Gatrabaho raman na siya… buotan ra man na siya… (we will look for) justice nga mapriso ang gabuhat ana niya,” she said.

“Makonsyensya ra sila…kay ilang gikuhaan og amahan akong anak, ilang gikuhaan og kaugmaon akong anak… daghan pa ta kaayo mi og plano pero wala na… ilang gipusil akong bana, ilang gipatay nga gahimo ra na siya og trabaho,” she added.

She said her husband loved being a policeman so much that he would brag about his work more than his family.

“Maayo gyud na sa iyang trabaho… tinud-anay jud na sa iyang trabaho… mas ipanabi pa gani na niya iyang trabaho kaysa sa iyang pamilya,” she said.

She married Calumba in 2012. They have a sixyear-old child.

The policeman’s mother, Maria Elime Calumba, 61, described Calumba as a “good and religious” son.

“Nag-eskwela na siya sa usa ka simbahan sa amoa, gamay pa siya hangtud nag-high school… buotan kaayo na nga bata… matalino, masunurin pa,” she said.

She said Calumba was a caring son and would always try to keep in touch after his transfer to Cebu.

“Daghan kaayo na siya amigo… palangga kaayo na sa mga tawo didto… daghan gani kaayo naguol didto ngano nahitabo ni niya,” she said.

CALUMBA