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“Not enough policemen.”
A barangay tanod was shot and wounded by an armed man at a checkpoint where the tanod was about to inspect jeepney passengers in Echaves Street, Cebu City past 3 a.m. yesterday.
The incident prompted Cebu City Councilo Augustus Pe to lament that there were not enouch beat patrol policemen to perform basic peacekeeping functions.
Two policemen chased the gunman and his companion but they disappeared after shooting Lorega barangay tanod, Mariano Calbario, 58.
Calbario was with two beat patrol policemen from Parian – PO1 Aldrin Pelayo and PO1 Rey Ilaga, who were manning the checkpoint in Echaves Street.
They chased the assailants into barangay Lorega but lost sight of them when they entered a cemetery.
Councilor Augustus Pe noted lapses in the conduct of the checkpoint , mainly the inadequate number of regular policemen.
“There were only two beat patrol policemen at the checkpoin. Kulang ra kaayo,” he said.
The wounded tanod was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center where he was declared in serious condition.
The policemen and the tanod set up a “secondary checkpoint” on Echaves Street to flag down jeepneys for inspection.
Secondary checkpoints, unlike regular checkpoints which have more policemen, rely on assistance from tanods.
A jeepney with at least eight passengers coming from barangay Talamban heading downtown was flagged down by the team.
Passengers were asked to alight for frisking and bag inspection.
Calbario was standing near the jeepney exit . Two men in their 20s were the last to get off. One man pulled out a gun and fired when the tanod asked to inspect them.
PO1s Pelayo and Ilaga, who were standing beside the jeepney pulled out their guns and fired shots before giving chase.
The tanod and law enforcers were patrolling a crime-prone area, where robbers often strike jeepneys from barangay Talamban, said Supt. Paul Labra II, deputy Cebu City director for operations.
The usual targets are traders who bring their produce to Carbon market from the mountain barangays.
Labra said that it was just unfortunate that the barangay tanod was shot in that “chance checkpoint” in Lorega. Efforts to identify and arrest the assailants are ongoing.
Labra said he informed Councilor Pe about the incident, hoping to seek financial help for the wounded tanod to cover hospitalization expenses.
Cebu City Police Chief Patrocinio Comendador chose to see the incident in a positive way.
He said the police were able to thwart a possible robbery with the checkpoint and that the incident showed that authorities would have to make “adjustments” in their strategy to reduce robberies in the city. with a report from Correspondent Jully Venus Cuizon
