This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VII, No. 1, Feb. 4-10, 2007
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 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 © 2007 Bulatlat
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