WHO is in charge?

Third District Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas is wont to ask this question noting the high rate of murders in her district, targeting public officials and prominent citizens in the district, and whose cases remain unsolved to this day.

She expressed alarm over the manner with which hired guns are able to kill their intended targets in her district and escape with so much ease and urged the police to intensify their anti-crime campaign, particularly to curb the proliferation of unlicensed or loose firearms.

In a letter dated June 23 addressed to P/Sr. Supt. Percival Barba, police provincial director, copy furnished Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronalddo Puno, Arenas twitted Barba for his earlier claim that the prevailing situation in the whole province is peaceful.

“I do not know the peace and order situation for the whole province but the recent high profile cases of murder of four (4) public officials in my district negate your assertion,” Arenas said in her letter to Barba.

ARENAS

She cited the most recent killing of Alice Baun whose family owns the Palaris Colleges and Kaluyagan Rural Bank, last Sunday by still an unidentified gunman, right at the center of San Carlos City.

Arenas said she believes that the root cause of these murders is the proliferation of unlicensed/loose firearms in her district.

“I would like to request your good office to conduct regular police checkpoints and other anti-criminal activities to curb the proliferation of unlicensed/loose firearms in my district,” she wrote.

In an earlier letter to Sec. Puno last April 7, she complained of the rising incidence of criminality in her district citing the assassination of three public servants, namely, the principal of the San Julian Elementary School in Malasiqui who was shot to death near his home; an ex- barangay captain of Lasip, Malasiqui who was gunned down in broad daylight; and the incumbent barangay captain of Mestizo Norte, San Carlos City who was shot during the graduation ceremonies in their barangay school.

She also cited the rape of an 80- year old woman Barangay Bolait, Malasiqui by still unknown perpetrators.

She said all the cases remain unsolved.

“Criminal elements are emboldened by the fact that the abovementioned cases remain unsolved,” she told Puno in her letter.

When The PUNCH sought Barba’s reactions to Arenas’ statements, he merely said he has instructed his deputy for operations to prepare the reply.#

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