SOLVE, OR ELSE...

Dad Threatens to Strip Police of Benefits From City Hall

Councilor Bonifacio Militar has given the Davao City Police Office two
months to show how they perform in solving summary execution cases or he
will recommend to strip them of the benefits they are regularly receiving
from the city.

"The other day we were at CNN (It was) not promoting Davao City to
international market but killings were highlighted. Is this the picture
that they want to establish in Davao?" Militar said.

Militar expressed frustration that the legislative body has been pushing
for the police to show their performance report on the series of killings
but until now, they cannot come up with a concrete report to the public.

"It's more than three years and the issue is dragging on," Militar said.

He said "their best is not enough" as they have not apprehended any suspect
of the killings.

Worse, he said those getting killed may have a police record but they died
not in the act of committing a crime but while they were waiting for a ride
or sleeping inside their house.

Also, it has been noticed that those who died are in the police list of
being a member of notorious gang or a drug pusher.

"If they cannot apprehend suspects, we will recommend that the benefits
that they are receiving from the city government will be taken off. We will
give them this last chance," Militar said.

DCPO has been saying that they are having difficulty solving the killings
because of the lack of witnesses willing to testify.

But Militar said it is the job of the police to do the necessary actions to
encourage and convince the witnesses to cooperate with them.

"If they cannot do some initiatives about it then we will come up with a
reward to anybody who can give them the lead in solving the crime," Militar
said.

Militar said they are not saying that the police is tolerating the killings.

"We are not suspecting that they are the ones responsible. But those
getting killed who have records of robbery, rape or drug pushing - are they
not entitled to the protection of the law? There are killings and what we
want to know is that have they ever done anything to identify any of its
perpetrators."

He said the city may have a stable peace and order as what the police has
been claiming but the fact that there are killings taking place everyday is
quite alarming.

"People are taking the law into their own hands now. We have a court of
justice," Militar said.

Peace and Order

Police regional director Isidro Lapena earlier said the performance of the
police does not lie only in solving the series of killings because it's
just one aspect of peace and order.

Lapena said it take years to solve a crime especially if there are no
witnesses. He said the number one theory they have right now is that those
getting killed have committed mistakes in the drug syndicates that they are in.

Not a Deterrent

For his part, councilor Peter Lavina said the police should do something
about it as the problem has existed even way before.

Lavina said killing people in the streets are not deterrent to crime and
that it is even abetting another crime.

"If there are no killings, (that means) the police are doing good," Lavina
said.

Lavina said if the police still fails to solve the problem it would then
become their track record of not solving any of the murder cases involving
motorcycle riding men.

Despite checkpoints and police outposts in almost every corner of the
streets, authorities failed to arrest any motorcycle riding man carrying
firearms.

He is worried that the same will lead to abuse in the future when people
will take the law into their own hands even in an ordinary personal conflict.

Police Visibility

Davao City Police Office director P/Supt. Conrado Laza said police
visibility exists in the city but it is not enough to have police in every
corner in the streets.

He said of the five big police stations in the downtown area, there are 192
police who are conducting foot patrol for 24 hours. He said there are also
500 police volunteers doing the same although they are not identified
because they are not in uniform.

He said said he is willing to present to the members of the city council
their explanation if they are invited to do so.