by Bohol Chronicle
City Chief of Police Supt. Julius Cesar Gornez raised apprehensions that armed members of the City Task Force might be in conflict with the police.
During a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod last Wednesday, Gornez told lawmakers
that the task force operations would have serious implications to law enforcement since its members are not officially deputized as a police auxiliary unit.
Gornez formally asked for a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the city government, through the SP and the city mayor, to have direct supervision and control over the city task force.
Meanwhile, two opposition city councilors likewise urged the city police chief to immediately place under its jurisdiction and exercise control over the task force in the light of the government's crackdown on armed groups and privates armies.
Councilors Zenaido Rama and Bebiano Inting on Friday said it is the duty of the police force to neutralize or dismantle armed groups.
The City Task Force, formed under the office of the city mayor to help in the anti-crime drive, has no legal personality, councilor Rama said.
In 15 city barangays, task force members could not be less than 50, performing functions similar to barangay tanods while some of them are armed.
Early this year, the city mayor provided a vehicle to each task force unit assigned in the barangays.
According to Rama, most of the task force members recruited by the office of the city mayor, are "dubious characters."
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The danger here is, they are allowed to carry their own firearms and there have been incidents in the past that task force members figured in shootings," Rama noted.
Councilor Inting describes a group such as the city task force which could fall under the definition of Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVOs), a euphemism for "private armies", in Executive Order 546.
Inting said, "Basically, the city task force should be police auxiliaries such as barangay tanods and traffic enforcers. But the problem is that they do not have deputization orders from the police which is necessary since they carry firearms."
Since the activities of the city task force is within the sphere of police operations, Rama and Inting said there should be an official deputization and a memorandum of agreement between the City PNP and the city government.
Rama said that if the city task force members are not officially deputized, then it should be dismantled by the PNP since they are performing their activities and carrying firearms illegally.
"Police officials could be in trouble if they do not address this situation as we have seen police chiefs being relieved because they have tolerated armed groups in their areas," Rama added.
The lawmaker also expressed apprehensions that the task force will be used against political opponents of the mayor, especially with the coming elections.
In a directive issued thru the Directorate for Operations of the PNP, Director General Jesus Verzosa instructed the PNP units to help dismantle and neutralize all known private armed groups in their areas of operations to ensure that the gruesome massacre of 57 people last month in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, would not be repeated.
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