By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Monday that the shooting to death of a cop Saturday afternoon here is an insult to the police and city officials.
Familiaran noted that the incident happened in broad daylight and in a crowded place.
Patrolman Eric Alcosaba was gunned down by four unidentified suspects at about 3:50 p.m. near a fast-food chain at Burgos Extension-Circumferential Road.
Alcosaba was previously tagged by slain drug group bagman Ricky Serenio in illegal drug activities in Negros Occidental.
The slain police officer, who went absent without official leave (AWOL), was assigned to Mindanao after being relieved from BCPO’s Police Station 7.
Police are currently looking at personal grudge and his alleged links to illegal drugs as possible motives for his death.
Familiaran said the area is usually crowded and it is fortunate that no one was hit in the crossfire.
He cited videos uploaded on social media showing that the gunmen used long firearms.
Familiaran said that unlike reports of previous killings where victims were found dead in a secluded area, Saturday’s shooting incident happened during the day in a usually crowded place.
“It is really an insult to police and city officials,” Familiaran said.
He asked the Bacolod City Police Office to increase police visibility and increase the number of security cameras in the city.
But the vice mayor said Bacolod City is still a peaceful place even as he the BCPO to exert more efforts in crime prevention and solution.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he already instructed Police Col. Henry Biñas, BCPO director, to more alert
Leonardia also said that he has also asked Biñas what the city government can do to help address the problem.
He also said that the incident is purely a police matter.
CONCERNED
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson also expressed concern over the number of shooting incidents in Bacolod City.
Lacson said the murder of Alcosaba will not only affect the image of the city, but also the whole province itself.
Lacson further said that Biñas should urge the investigators to speed up their investigation.
The BCPO and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office should also exert more effort in solving the shooting incidents and identify the suspects.
