Mayor to revive City Vice Squad

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama said he would revive the Vice Squad to inspect night spots and entertainment places to check if they are complying with city ordinances.

The joint team would have policemen and members of the the anti-indecency board, city health department and Liquor Licensing Commission.

He said this was part of his promise in his July 1 inaugural address to strictly regulate gambling and liquor sales in the city.

“We do not want a repeat of the incident,” he said, referring to the July 7 rumble that broke out Sunday dawn outside Kuerks bar. City Councilor Gerry Carillo, who intervened, was later accused of bashing the head of 16-year-old Jan Niño Pogoy with a rock.

No complaint has been filed yet against Carilllo, who denied the allegations.

Cebu City police chief Mariano Natuel Jr. said an amicable settlement may already be in the works between Carillo and the boy’s parents since several days have passed.

Natuel said the police did their part by taking the statements of witnesses and are just waiting for the family to decide what action to take.He said a charge of serious physical injuries in relation to child abuse could be filed if the Pogoy family presses charges.

The boy’s mother Milagros told Cebu Daily News the other day that an emissary of Carillo sent money as financial aid for Jan’s hospitalization but that she refused to use it because there may be a “malicious” intention to silence them.

The boy underwent surgery to stem internal bleeding from a cracked skull and is still confined in the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

At the hospital, where both parents take turns watching over Jan Niño, the mother said her priority is to nurse her son back to health and that they would make a decision about legal action later.

While Carillo asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a separate inquiry that would be “unbiased”, Natuel said the police would continue with its own investigation.

Carillo earlier had asked the police to inhibit from the investigation and let the NBI to handle it because the boy’s father and brother are policemen.

But Natuel said this would set a bad precedent for cases where the accused would just ask other agencies to investgiate. Natuel said it is the offended party or victim that should be the one to request for any transfer./Chito Aragon and Doris Bongcac