Alarming shooting incidents in Lapu-Lapu City

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza has asked the police to stop the spate of killings that rocked the city as of late. Even if the police were busy during the recent election, Radaza said they should have continued their duty of keeping the city safe and orderly.

One of the latest shooting incidents in the city involved a man who was gunned down after attending a hearing at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall of Justice. Jose Zabate was riding a motorcycle with his wife when two men onboard a motorcycle shot him in the head last Monday.

The police believe Zabate’s shooting, the third in that city in just a span of 12 hours, may have been related to the illegal drug trade. The victim was reportedly arrested for illegal drugs and was released from police detention in March last year.

As the war against illegal drugs heats up, Lapu-Lapu City is one of the areas in Metro Cebu and the province that has the highest cases of shooting incidents. Well, we don’t really know if those murders were really related to drugs as the police have yet to determine the real motives.

However, whether related to drugs or not, the series of shooting incidents in Lapu-Lapu City is a black eye to the peace and order effort of authorities. It only taints the city’s image as the leading tourist destination in Cebu.

This spate of shooting incidents only creates an impression that the city police are sleeping on the job. That various crimes have been committed in crowded places and in broad daylight is a testament of their failure to strengthen their peace and order drive.

With countless resorts dotting its shorelines, Lapu-Lapu City is home to thousands of foreign tourists. Through its international airport, the city is also the gateway to other tourist destinations in Cebu and rest of Central Visayas.

If Lapu-Lapu City’s peace and order situation continues to get worse, the toll it takes on its bustling tourism industry would be unimaginable.