Mindanaotoday.com | Peace, security council to meet following Oro killings
By: Franck Dick Rosete
City mayor Rolando Uy, in a statement on Saturday, July 23, asked the local police here to put additional effort to maintain the peace and order, and to ensure the security of the residents.
“We need to ensure the security of our residence in the city. Based on the data from the police, the crime rate drops. However, there are high profile crimes. That is why I tasked the police to provide additional effort,” Uy said.
In a phone interview Saturday, Councilor Romeo Calizo, the chairman of Public Order and Safety committee, said that he had already been instructed by the mayor to be the focal person of the CPDSC.
Calizo said the CPDSC will immediately convene after the issuance of the executive order (EO) for the memberships.
“There will be new members in the CPDSC. As soon as the executive order for the memberships would be released, we will immediately convene,” he said.
Calizo, however, said that they already met with the officials of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) to determine the causes of the series of crime incidents here.
Crime incidents for this week
Around 12 a.m. of July 17, Cris Semaña, a delivery rider was stabbed to death and his minor girlfriend was raped at Coastal Road, Barangay Lapasan.
Semaña and his minor girlfriend only went to Coastal Road to have a peaceful place to settle their problem when two individuals approached and pointed a knife at them, and brought them to a nearby grassy area.
Two of the three suspects, however, have already arrested and the Agora police station has been continuing their investigation to identify and arrest the other suspect.
On July 19, Darnel Alisoto, 39 of Manticao town, Misamis Oriental, who was a parking boy in this city, died after he was hit on the forehead by an unidentified suspect using a hard object while sleeping on the cemented portion along PN Roa corner Ferrabrel Street, Barangay Carmen.
Another parking boy in Divisoria here was also killed on July 21 after he was stabbed on his neck, using a broken bottle. The police identified the victim as Garry Dorin, 30 of Pabayo-Pacana Street, Barangay 12 in this city.
The suspects of the stabbing incident were later on arrested by the Divisoria police station.
The most recent, on July 23, a certain Avelimo Majorenos, 28 of Opol town, Misamis Oriental was shot dead after a commotion occurred inside a bar situated in Corrales Avenue, Barangay 29.
Revival of ‘OKK’ and amending the curfew hours
Meanwhile, Calizo is in favor of the plan of mayor Uy to revive the Operation Kahusay ug Kalinaw (OKK).
The OKK is the centralized police station in downtown Divisoria and it was significant to the city’s peace and order situation in the early 1990s under the administration of the late former Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Pablo Magtajas.
The OKK is for immediate activation to maintain the safety and security of Cagayan de Oro in times of terror threat.
The OKK is composed of the city mayor, with councilors as his members, including the business, religious sectors, civil society organizations, and barangay officials.
Calizo also agreed to the recommendation of COCPO to bring back the implementation of curfew hours in the city as it would help the city’s security measures.
Lt. Col. Surki Sereñas, the COCPO’s deputy director for operations, earlier said that the amendment of the existing curfew ordinance – which only covers the 15 years old and below – is one of their requests to the city government due to the incidents where there were some minors involved.
Sereñas stressed that the curfew policy should cover all minor ages.
Usa pud na sa atong ginahangyo sa lokal nga kagamhanan nga i-amend kay instead nga 15 gusto nato at least himuong 18 (That is one of our requests to the local government to amend [the city’s the existing curfew ordinance] that instead of 15 [years old], we want to at least to make it 18 [years old]),” Sereñas said.
Calizo is in favor of the police request, however, he said the curfew should not only limit the minors as there were also individuals who were legal ages who had been involved in the crime incidents.
In amending the curfew, he also stressed the need of balancing that would not compromise the city economy.
“Kailangan balansehon pud nato kay basin makaapekto pud sa atong (We need also to balance because it might affect) our business establishments. Kay nasayod man ta nga ang source sa ato syudad (We all know that the source of our city), a big part is coming from taxes being paid from business,” Calizo said.
Calizo said the executive order for the memberships of the City Peace Development and Security Council would possibly be issued next week.
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