NOW the family of the shooting victim early Saturday dawn inside a bar in Davao City is formally requesting that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region XI be the one to conduct the investigation into the circumstances of the crime.
In other words the victim’s family is now manifesting its lack of trust in the police to conduct the probe of a crime in which the suspect is one of its non-uniformed personnel and a known member of the family of a former ranking official of the PNP who was himself involved in some controversies during his various assignments.
According to news reports on television and on print the family is doing its best to protect the witnesses during the commission of the crime by ensuring that they will give their statements to probers coming from law enforcement unit that has no one to protect. The victim’s family believes that since it is the police organization’s credibility is at stake in the case then the PNP may try to do something to protect its reputation that has been tarnished by the shenanigans of a few of its members.
Yes, the police is well aware of its predicament in so far as its reputation is concerned. That is why we believe that its officials at the regional level could be sincere in their pronouncement that a fair and honest investigation will be done. But we can really not blame people if they are skeptical about the police pronouncements. Remember that they promised that there will be no special treatment of the suspect, a medical doctor working for the PNP.
Their acts however, seem not to jibe with what they said. Think of this: the suspect carried with him a gun when generally he is not supposed to. And assuming that he had a permit to carry what circumstance was there that the police so easily granted the privilege?
And the police say that as of last Thursday no case was filed against the suspect because they have yet to conduct deeper probe to determine what charges are to be filed against the suspect.
We also heard in the broadcast report saying that the suspect was claiming self-defense. But we haven’t heard in the report of law enforcers who arrived first at the crime scene mentioned that they found a gun or any deadly weapon from the victim.
There is no doubt that the suspected shooting perpetrator is not a uniformed member of the PNP organization. But should the police fail to handle the case fairly and in a most transparent manner all its efforts to cleanse its name from previous negative perceptions will again go to naught.
We hope that this incident in Davao City will not add weight to the force pushing our police organization down to perdition.
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Here is one big joke we heard lately. We mean the warning of Davao City Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain to councilors that they should not abuse the privilege given them by the local government which is the issuance of a service vehicle.
According to the Vice Mayor the councilors should not use their service vehicles for their personal or family activities. Could your warning Sir be possibly heeded by the councilors?
We know for sure that your warning is easier said on your part as head of the legislative body of the city government. But as far as the councilors are concerned we know that you are pretty aware that your warning is easier heard by them than followed.
We know for a fact that most if not all councilors extend their privilege to use their service units to other members of their family. And we were witness personally to this “extension” during the campaign period for the May 9, 2022 local elections.
Several of the councilors running for reelection had their issued vehicles used by their relatives who were campaigning for them. We knew this because some of them came to our little cafe and cold corner to take snacks and they were using the issued vehicles of their councilor kin.
And in several instances we came across councilors using their service units for travels outside the city and in their personal business not official.
Really this warning from our Vice Mayor is something that makes the concerned councilors laugh though covertly. Their constituents also laugh as well… or may be frown.
