Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia backed the order of City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz to shoot the members of the Dipolog-Mizamis-Parohinog crime group in case of an encounter with any of them and they fight back.

Leonardia said that he believes that when he made the order to his policemen last week, de la Paz only wanted to warn these criminals about how serious the city police is in neutralizing them.

Romeo Baldevarona, head of the Commission on Human Rights-Bacolod, meanwhile, advised the City Police to neutralize the members of the Dipolog-Ozamis-Parohinog crime group in a “bloodless” manner.

Baldevarona also stressed that, under the law, policemen can shoot back if their lives are in danger during armed engagements, only to protect themselves, their family or strangers, but not to kill.

Police intelligence reports show that the group planned to rob a bank and a mall in Bacolod after the Holy week but was foiled because of police presence. It also attempted to stage a heist at a pawnshop last week but also failed.

Leonardia said these reports drew mixed reactions from different stakeholders, but he said this should not be cause for alarm. He appealed to the people that if they see suspicious-looking individuals to report it immediately because peace and order is everyone’s concern

The Dipolog-Ozamis-Parohinog group is linked to the robbery at the Central Negros Electric Cooperative in March last year where P3.6 million in cash was seized.

Among its members who have already been identified are Gernardo Saniel and Ruel Remedios both of Zamboanga Del Sur, Richard Dagumon, Roberto Solis of Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Gaudencio Vardon Monopollo Jr., and Darvin Jay Tibon of Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental, Ruel Alvarez of Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, Reynaldo Bacolod “alias Toto” of Las Piñas City, and Joseph Calarmo of Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.*APN

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