By John Rey Saavedra/Philippine News Agency
CEBU CITY — The top police official in Central Visayas on Tuesday threatened to press charges against anyone, including politicians, who defy legitimate police checkpoints set up for the May 13 midterm elections.
Police Regional Office (PRO-7) chief, Brigadier General Debold Sinas, said checkpoints posted in different places in Cebu are legitimate for the orderly elections. The people are bound to respect the police personnel manning the road barricade, he added.
“Hangyo lang namo sa mga tawo motuman sa lagda sa checkpoint. Dili nila yaga-yagaan atong mga polis (My plea to the people are to comply with the rules on the checkpoint. They should stop mocking our policemen),” Sinas said.
Sinas’ reaction came after a convoy of three vehicles boarded by candidates for the May 13 local election ignored a police checkpoint at Barangay Kasambagan here on Sunday night.
Elements from the City Highway Patrol Group (CHPG) who were manning the checkpoint chased the vehicles which stopped a few meters away.
Reportedly, the police learned that candidates were on board the vehicles they flagged down when City Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos, who is running for vice mayor in this city, disembarked from one of the vehicles, then re-electionist Mayor Tomas Osmeña followed suit.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) chief, Royina Garma, showed a video footage to media showing the mayor telling the police personnel they could not ask people to get off from their vehicles.
“We’re contemplating to file cases,” Col. Royina Garma, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said, adding “normal people stop at checkpoint”.
For her part, delos Santos claimed the convoy went through the checkpoint without stopping because no one among the policemen told them to stop.
The city councilor added one of the policemen conducting the checkpoint pointed his gun at one of their companions who alighted with them when a confrontation occurred.
Osmeña also slammed the city police chief over the alleged irregularities in manning the checkpoint.
“Why did your goons force my staff out of their vehicle… isn’t it illegal to force someone out of a private vehicle?” his post via Facebook read.
The mayor said the police did not have any warrant when they searched the vehicles, an allegation that Garma quickly denied.
Osmeña’s camp also threatened to file charges against the police, adding that his lawyers are now collecting evidence to back it up.
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