BACOLOD City – Authorities here are having a hard time scouring evidences to pin down suspects in fatal shootings.
Police Colonel Henry Biñas, officer-in-charge of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), conceded they were encountering difficulty solving crimes involving persons with supposed links to illegal drugs.
“Investigating these crimes take time. It could take weeks, months, even years. But all I can say is we are trying our best and the BCPO is one of the best in crime solution efficiency,” Biñas said, adding the killing of drug suspects is not only a region-wide problem but also a national concern.
One such case was that of Police Patrolman Eric Alcosaba. The police officer, who had been absent without official leave, was shot to death on Feb. 15 by four unidentified gunmen along Circumferential Road in Barangay Villamonte.
The Alcosaba slay, however, showed a shift in the method of the assassins in drug-related killings.
It was only recently, when Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido was assigned as concurrent head of the Drug Enforcement Unit and operations chief, that suspected drug personalities were abducted or left dead someplace else.
On Dec. 3, 2019, Ontao Sacar, a businessman, was snatched in a crowded shopping mall and found dead the next day.
Several days later, on Dec. 15, 2019, businessman Robert “Kaishek” Tan was ambushed inside a subdivision in Villamonte village.
Two killers riding a motorcycle shot at Tan who was driving his sedan.
Another victim, a man, was also found dead on Jan. 30, 2020 on the eve of Espenido’s deadline for organized crime groups to talk to him.
The BCPO director attributed the snail-pace investigation of these drug-related murders to the refusal of witnesses to cooperate with them.
Biñas appealed to the public not to be afraid to testify if they witnessed a crime, adding solving a crime only becomes difficult if people do not cooperate.
Earlier, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental expressed concern over the recent shooting incidents in Bacolod City. According to the governor, the recent murder of Police Patrolman Eric Alcosaba not only affects the city’s image but the entire province.
Lacson pointed out Biñas should urge investigators to step-up probes, pointing out there have been no conclusions drawn from the incidents that have occurred over the past few months.
Additionally, he said BCPO and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office should do more in solving shooting incidents and identifying suspects.
The governor added that the people of the province expect more than “the usual replies.”/PN
