Tomas Osmeña and the Vigilantes of Cebu City
If there is any
local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged
presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. He admits there are
such groups in his area of responsibility, but says “that’s the way it
is” and says he “cannot” take a “stronger stance” against them. His
critics, though, think he can and should do otherwise.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN
REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
If there is any
local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged
presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña – a brother of Sen.
Sergio Osmeña III.
Taxi drivers, whose
vehicles are the main mode of transportation in Cebu City, are wont to
talk about these vigilante groups – among other things – when they sense
their passengers are new in the place. One of them even told this writer
stories about convicts about to be released from jail after serving
their term, who beg to be allowed to remain in prison lest the
vigilantes go after their heads when they get out.
In a recent
interview with Bulatlat, Osmeña admitted that there are indeed
vigilante groups in Cebu City. By his own account, these vigilante
groups killed some 170 persons last year. Most of the victims, he said,
were suspected criminals.
“It’s an issue
against me,” Osmeña admitted, as he acknowledged having come under fire
from human rights organizations and lawyers’ groups on this issue.
The Cebu City mayor
said he started getting flak on the issue of vigilantism in Cebu City
the other year, when he rewarded a man who shot a robber after
witnessing the crime. While driving his car, the man, he said, saw
someone rob and shoot a security guard inside a jeepney he had been
following. Osmeña said the robber was laughing as he went down from the
jeepney a few minutes later. The man who had seen it all was armed and
he opened his window and shot the robber – and he didn’t surrender to
the police.
“I told them, ‘You
find that guy and I’ll give him a reward,’ and they did find him and I
did give him a reward,” Osmeña said.
The Cebu City
mayor, however, also expressed “regret” that these vigilante groups
operate with “some consent” from his constituency.
“They get
considerable support from the people, that’s the problem,” he said.
“That’s because the people are losing confidence in the justice system.
When they see that the fiscals and judges are corrupt; when they see
drug lords, after being arrested with a kilo of shabu, get
released on bail when they should get the death penalty – you know,
these are situations when people see criminals being shot dead they
think, well, that’s his problem.”
Osmeña would not
give figures on the crime rate in Cebu City even when asked. He did tell
this writer something, however, that points to high criminal activity in
the place. “There’s no one in Cebu who does not have a relative or does
not know someone who has not been a victim of crime,” he said.
On taking a
strong stand on vigilantism
The Cebu City mayor
admitted he has been under pressure to “take a strong stand” against the
presence of vigilante groups in his turf. “But I do not want to give an
assurance to criminals that it’s safe here, because many of them left
Cebu,” he said.
He has many
critics, though, who think he can – and should – do otherwise. They say
that leaving vigilantes to act on the problem of criminality has
implications on human rights.
Osmeña has defended
what his critics describe as his “inaction” in the face of these
killings, saying the vigilante groups help in reducing crime in Cebu
City.
“If vigilantism is
the way to solve the problem of crime, we might as well do away with the
justice system,” said Bro. Jun Jardinico, a member of the Franciscan
Friars of Charity, in a separate interview. “How can you solve crime by
committing another crime?”
“If our justice
system is turning out to be inutile, it is perhaps time for the people
to think about what has to be done with it and with our government,”
added Jardinico, who is also the deputy secretary-general of Karapatan
(Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) in Central Visayas.
Osmeña acknowledges
the Cebu City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) as
among his strongest critics on the issue of killings by vigilantes.
Right to life
In a separate
interview with Bulatlat, lawyer Alfonso “Poch” Cinco IV, who is
with the IBP-Cebu City, said the killings perpetrated by vigilantes are
violations of the people’s right to life.
“They may say the
victim is a snatcher and a thief, but that is still not reason enough to
kill him,” said Cinco, who is also chairman of Karapatan-Cebu. “That is
taking a life without due process of law.”
The right to life
is one of the basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution,
particularly in Art. III, Sec. 1 which states that:
No person shall be deprived of life,
liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be
denied the equal protection of the laws.
It is also provided
for by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), to which the
Philippine government is a signatory. “Everyone has the right to life,
liberty and security of person,” states Article 3 of the UDHR.
Osmeña has hit back
at the IBP-Cebu City for criticizing him on the issue of killings by
vigilantes. “Is the IBP really interested in human rights, or are they
concerned about the loss of their clients? Because while they defend
innocent people, they also defend some guilty people,” he said in his
interview with Bulatlat.
This does not sit
well with Cinco. He said lawyers are under oath to provide legal
assistance to anyone – be they criminals or not, moneyed or not – who
encounters legal problems or conflicts.
Cinco further said
that the position of the IBP is anchored on the existence of laws, a
police force, and a government. He said that the police should
investigate criminal cases and file appropriate charges against the
suspects – who, he said, should be jailed if found guilty in court.
“What the
vigilantes are doing is to just kill suspected criminals, which is not
good and which is a violation of our laws,” he pointed out, “The point
is, we all have rights – whether we are criminals or not. That’s in the
Constitution.”
Osmeña said that he
also sees the presence of vigilante groups in Cebu City as something he
cannot be proud of. “It’s basically wrong,” he admitted. Bulatlat
BACK TO
TOP ■
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION ■
COMMENT
© 2007 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications
Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided
its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.