Promoting violence

How come a civilian asset is armed and why are you getting an asset who is not from here? That’s a very obvious distortion as I see it. CEBU CITY MAYOR TOMAS OSMEñA, IN ASKING THE POLICE TO SHOW THE GUN LICENSE AND PERMIT TO CARRY OF MICHAEL BANUA, THE POLICE ASSET IN THE ALLEGED AMBUSH ON THE VEHICLE OF TEJERO BARANGAY COUNCILMAN JESSIELOU CADUNGOG

Ithought the “former political has been” wanted to stop the killings in the city allegedly perpetrated by hired killers and men-in-uniformturned vigilantes. He expressed concern about the spate of killings here wherein some of the victims were government agents. He is firm in his belief that the police are behind the killings, citing the attempted ambush of his political ally, Tejero Barangay Councilman Jessielou “Jingjing” Cadungog and the killing of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Von Rian Tecson.

P03 Eugene Calumba was suspected to be the would-be assassin of Cadungog. But Cadungog’s driver-bodyguard, Michael Macaslang, killed Calumba instead. While SPO1 Roderick Balili of the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) of PRO 7 was suspected to be one of the assailants of Tecson. Balili died but his superiors claimed he was victim of accidental firing.

But with the “former political has-been’s” pronouncement that he is giving P50,000 for every “ninja or rogue cop” killed, he is complicating the matter and seemingly promoting violence. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would give P5 million to those who can kill a “ninja or rogue cop” and P10,000 for those who can personally bring a bad cop to him alive.

Never mind the pronouncement of the President because that is what he has been doing since he assumed office. But the “former political hasbeen” is against the killings but now he is promoting it with the promised additional incentive.

Is he only against the murders happening in our own backyard if his friends and loyalists in the police organization are the targets? Will he cry foul again like what happened in the case of Cadungog?

Would he be happy and maybe shout “mirisi” if the one being killed are in his list of “rogue policemen” like Balili and and maybe Insp. Chuck Barandog, whom he tagged as a “rogue officer”? He suspected Barandog, formerly chief of Station 6 and of CIDG 7 as behind the strafing of a funeral parlor owned by Calamba Barangay Councilor Richard Buscayno and the attempted murder of ex-policeman Ahmed Lozano.

What does “rogue” mean? A dishonest person, unprincipled, rascal and scoundrel. If we have these people in the police organization, we also have them in the political world. Why don’t he also give incentives to people who can kill these kinds of politicians?

I agree with the statement of opposition Councilor Joel Garganera that the move of the “former political has-been” will promote violence and chaos in the city. It would be bad cops versus good cops. And who will determine the bad cops? How would a “rogue cop” be identified? Based only on his list without properly validating and checking the background of the person?

And to whom will he give the money? Will he disclose the identities of those behind the killing? What if the killer is a civilian or a hired killer who has an ax to grind against the policeman?

I thought his stand on extra-judicial killings have changed. In 2004, he inspired vigilantism with more than 150 criminals dead. When he returned to power in 2016, he still gave incentives to policemen who killed criminals. He only cried foul when his allies were the target. Now he is again promoting violence.