Relief of 11 cops
escalates conflict
As possible padlocking of station looms
BY GILBERT BAYORAN

The conflict between Escalante City government officials and Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, regional police director of Western Visayas, has apparently turned from bad to worse after Mayor Melecio Yap allegedly issued an “advice” for the padlocking of the city police station Saturday, after the relief of 11 more policemen assigned at the place.

Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, yesterday said they have already identified some areas in Escalante City to serve as temporary police headquarters, if Yap pushes through the padlocking of the city police station headquarters.

Guisihan, however, said the peace and order situation in Escalante City remains normal. He also debunked reports of a reigning tension brought about the order of Yap to padlock the police station.

A drug group that recently offered a bribe to the Bacolod City Police Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Group that they refused, is being eyed in the fatal shooting of Police Officer 3 Rolando Malate, City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said yesterday.

De la Paz said this development came out during the case conference by the members of the “Task Force Malate” held at the City Police headquarters Saturday. He added that the group had offered a huge amount of money to the CAIDSTOG members so they will not be busted.

He said the emissary of the drug group told the CAIDSTOG members that since they refused the bribe, it will be used instead to pay hired gunmen to kill them.

Senator Sergio Osmeña III Saturday said that everybody should be treated equally under the law and there is no such thing as house arrest for former presidents and jail for non-former presidents.

“That is not right,” Osmeña said.

The lawyers of former president Gloria Arroyo are pushing to have her held under house arrest while she in on trial for electoral sabotage.