THIS is one for the books.
While most threats are made either through a text message or a telephone call, last Friday, somebody sent a chilling message to a target for liquidation—in full view.
The target is former Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama and the message was written across a tarpaulin hung in an overpass in Mandaue City near the Basak Elementary School.
The tarp had a photo of Rama with that of the late Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and Ronda town Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab, lawyer of Espinosa’s son Kerwin, a confessed drug lord, who was shot and killed recently
The picture was reportedly taken in Albuera, Leyte years ago during Espinosa’s oathtaking as a member of the United Nationalist Alliance, where Rama served as regional chairman.
Espinosa’s and Ungab’s faces were spray painted with X marks, which meant that they were already eliminated, while Rama’s face was encircled, with the words “Ikaw sunod” [you’re next]written beside his image.
“It’s a serious threat,” Rama said in a television interview.
The elder Espinosa was killed by the police on his own jail cell in Leyte in November 2016, while Ungab was shot dead only last Monday in downtown Cebu.
The suspect in the tarp message has yet to be identified, but Rama said he already has a suspect in mind. He declined to give details.
Earlier, Ungab’s wife said that her husband received threats via text messages hours before he was shot by unidentified assailants in Cebu City.
Meanwhile, an Amnesty International Airport that Philippine police officers have yet to account for their actions for their involvement in the killings of alleged drug suspects drew condemnation and disbelief from Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa,
In a radio interview, Dela Rosa described the AI report as unfair and insisted that the police doing their jobs to investigate the cases against their own peers.
“Unfair naman ‘yan kung totoong sinabi niyang ganun. Meron naman tayong imbestigasyon. May mga na resolved na tayong kaso. Walang kabuluhan na imbestigasyon, e anong nangyari dun sa mga pulis na nakakulong, mga kinasuhan at dinismiss?” he said in the radio interview.
Dela Rosa goes on to say that the PNP leadership is currently undergoing an internal cleansing, as many corrupt cops have been caught.
To prove his claim, Dela Rosa said he had already dismissed 352 police officers from the service for various offenses since he assumed his role as PNP chief.
PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management data also showed that from 2016 to 2017, 167 police personnel have been dismissed with cases related to illegal drugs.
Of the 167, 146 tested positive for illegal drug use while 21 were involved in illegal drugs operations. Eight police had kidnapping cases, 22 were involved in murder, one cop had a rape case, 15 were caught involved in robbery/ extortion and and one in graft/malversation.
Earlier this month, three policemen in Caloocan City who were alleged involved in the killing of teenage drug suspect the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court branch 125 were issued a warrant of arrest over the killing of alleged teenage drug suspect Kian delos Santos last year.
Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz—now face murder and torture charges for the killing.
Police had accused Kian of drug links but admitted to senators during a hearing that they only learned about it on social media a day after they shot him dead.
Dela Rosa justified the apparent slow pace of the investigations of some cases involving policemen, which he said could mean that authorities are simply doing a thorough job.
“Hndi naman kami mga manghuhula na pwede na lang gumagawa ng ano-ano. You must understand, imbestigasyon yan. Bakit naman ganun? Ngayon lang ba nangyari ‘yan na hindi masolve solve ng pulis ang ibang mga kaso? Hindi lang naman ngayon yan. Alangan naman gagawa kami ng istorya para lang sabihin natin na ma-solve yan,” he said.
Dela Rosa also rejected a Worldwide Threat Assessment report of the US Intelligence Community that identified President Rodrigo Duterte as a possible threat to democracy in the region.
“Kanya kanya naman. Wala ba tayong karapatan na gumawa ng sarili nating assessment at magpakatuta tayo sa kanila, magpaka puppet tayo sa kanila? Sila lang ang masusunod? That is unfair. Being a nation, may sarili tayong prinsipyo dapat hindi sunod-sunuran kung ano lang ang kanilang sabihin,” he said.
At the same time, Dela Rosa thanked the president for extending his term as PNP chief indefinitely.
“Nagulat nga ako na indefinite ang term extension ko. What can you expect sa Presidente? He is a leader full of surprises. Mahirap basahin yung kanyang mga desisyon,” he said.
“Parang magnet ang kanyang style of leadership, hahanga ka sa kanyang liderato…May b***g, may puso may, malasakit,” he added.
In a related development, prosecutors handling the case against Kerwin Espinosa has asked a judge of a Manila court to inhibit himself from the illegal drug trading case.
The judge, Silvino Pampilo Jr., of the Manila Regional Trial Courth Branch 26, said in a hearing last Friday that he would decide within three to five days whether to inhibit or not.
He also reminded both the prosecutors and Kerwin’s lawyers that they “are only doing their jobs.”
“Don’t take it personally to the judge, to the prosecutors”•we are only doing our job here. Walang personalan ito… This is a very dangerous job, but we have to accept our tasks,” he said.
The prosecution, representing the government, had filed a motion for inhibition on January 31, after a witness against Espinosa recanted his testimony, claiming that his testimony was tainted because he was threatened by the police.
In his motion, Assistant City Prosecutor Christian Tracy Bachiller said Pampilo’s move to allow Jose Antipuesto to take the witness stand and be heard on matters prejudicial to the prosecution, was “improper and irregular.”
The motion also claimed Pampilo’s statement to the media that Antipuesto recanted his testimony because he was “duped” “unilaterally destroyed other witnesses for the prosecution.”
“In the interest of justice and fair play, the proceedings for the recantation of the Antepuesto should be nullified and in order to salvage the cause of the prosecution in this case, and to avoid any undue moto propio interference from the court in the proper prosecution of this case, the Honorable judge should humbly preclude himself from hearing this case,” the motion said.
At Friday’s hearing, Pampilo ruled not to allow Espinosa to comment on the motion after a lawyer for the prosecution argued that Espinosa may file a comment contrary to the motion to inhibit.
Espinosa appeared at the hearing despite sending a letter saying he cannot attend the proceeding, citing “imminent” threat to his life.
“As of now I am still in the process of looking for a new counsel,” he said in the handwritten letter.
The young Espinosa is facing illegal drug trading and possession of dangerous drugs and illegal possession of firearms.