The ‘visitor’ of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma who was gunned down. PHOTO/Inquirer Visayas
CEBU CITY – “Not so safe.”
This was how Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña described the peace and order situation of Cebu City following the recent killings.
“Killers are not scared anymore. They just run, and bang!” said Osmeña.
On the other hand, he added that he will continue supporting the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
On Tuesday, a disgruntled husband looking for a bishop’s advice, a councilman, and a 3-year-old boy perished in separate shooting incidents in Cebu City in a span of just three hours on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) thinks Cebu is still a safe place despite the recent killings that happened in the province and in Cebu City.
“I think Cebu is still a safer place,” Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, PRO-7 chief, said when he was asked to comment on the statement of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
“That is why whenever we arrest persons, there are bound to be casualties because we are implementing the law. If you will say we have a high rate of crime incidents because we are conducting operations,” he said.
“It’s also different when the suspects are really agitated or they planned to victimize people. Sometimes there are incidents that are beyond our control,” said Sinas.
Sinas said killings are not a gauge to determine if a place is peaceful or safe. He said there are places like New York which have many killings but the people there still considered their place as peaceful.
“It’s just a matter of perception. I think people are still better to live in Cebu City than live in Cotabato City,” Sinas said.
In some places in Mindanao there are a minimal number of crimes reported but there are still people don’t think Mindanao is safe, he said.
“The most peaceful is ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) because there are a few cases reported there but why are there no people going there? Because there’s the perception that it’s unsafe there,” Sinas said.
Sinas also said the recent killings are isolated cases and unrelated to each other. With a report from Nestle L. Semilla