With the spate of shooting incidents and robbery/hold-up cases in Dumaguete City, Sr. Supt. Edwin Portento, Negros Oriental provincial police director, has directed his police chiefs to fully implement a fresh beat patrol system in their respective assignments.
Sr. Supt. Portento disclosed Monday afternoon that after his assumption as the new police director in early September, the Negros Oriental Philippine National Police Provincial Office had made a plan to address and curb these crimes.
The provincial police director further disclosed that the police stations have already received the guidelines on the patrol beat system and he will be checking on them whether this plan is fully implemented.
The directive comes as three more people were shot in Dumaguete City two weekends ago, thus increasing the number of shooting incidents from January to August this year from 11 cases as reported by the PNP during a forum.
A police report on Monday said the latest shooting victim was identified as Oledan Catan Wolfe, 35 years old, single, and a resident of Cervantes St. in Dumaguete.Wolfe was on his way home around 10:40 p.m. Sunday when two suspects riding in tandem on a motorcycle fired at him at Tabuc-Tubig, Angatan in Dumaguete.
He was rushed to the hospital for treatment while police are still looking at a possible motive for the shooting.
Earlier, around 10 a.m. Saturday, two unidentified suspects riding in tandem shot two young women who were on board a tricycle along Meciano Road in Baranga Taclobo, also in Dumaguete.
The victims were identified as Meagan Noble, 21 years old, single, and April Bien, 30 years old, single, both from Pasay City.
Both died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The police said the two women were apparently known to the 12 male suspects, also reportedly from Pasay City, who were arrested last week for alleged credit card thefts at different establishments in Dumaguete City.
One of the women, April Bien, was said to be a flight attendant of one of the country’s flag carriers.
Sr. Supt. Portento has clarified that regardless of the background of the victims, no one has the right to claim their lives.
Portento said he is not aware of any vigilantes here but if there are any, the police will not tolerate them.
“We will uphold the rule of law at all times,” he stressed.
Again, Portento called on the citizenry to aid the police in crime prevention and addressing the peace and order problems here as they could not do it alone.
Meanwhile, the official turn over of command ceremony was held Friday morning at the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office at Camp Fernandez in barangay Agan-an, Sibulan town.
Police Regl Director Chief Supt. Edmund Gonzales of the Negros Island PNP Regional Office 18 led the turn-over of command to Sr. Supt. Edwin Portento from former Sr. Supt. Henry Biñas.
Biñas has been assigned to Iloilo City effective Sept. 1.
Gov. Roel Degamo lauded and thanked Sr. Supt. Biñas for having rendered exemplary service in the Province, and at the same time, expressed confidence that Sr. Supt. Portento would be able to do the same. (With reports from Judy Flores/PNA)