By Jennifer P. Rendon and Emme Rose Santiagudo
The Iloilo City government and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) assured the safety of Dinagyang revelers after the twin broad day murders that happened in the city on Jan 19, 2020, a day before the festival week kicked off.
Mayor Jerry Treñas downplayed the shooting incidents, emphasizing that there is nothing to worry about the safety and security of visitors in the upcoming Dinagyang 2020.
“There is nothing to worry about the safety of our visitors for Dinagyang. I have been in contact with Police Colonel Martin Defensor Jr. since yesterday and he told me that those two shooting incidents were isolated cases,” Treñas said in a press conference on Monday.
According to the mayor he already instructed the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) through Defensor to conduct checkpoints and increase police presence and visibility in areas where Dinagyang spectators will converge.
“Ang instruction ko, we will be conducting checkpoints and increase police presence and visibility in all areas where our visitors converged and may gun ban kita so indi kita magpasulod sang mga armas during Dinagyang,” he said.
Treñas said the city is waiting for more or less 2,700 cops and force multipliers who will secure the festival.
Police Captain Shella Mae Sangrines, ICPO spokesperson, said that the killings in Jaro and La Paz districts were “isolated cases.”
“It doesn’t, in any way, relate to the celebration of Dinagyang Festival,” Sangrines said Monday.
But just the same, she said the ICPO will make necessary adjustments because of the incidents.
For one, the deployment of security personnel for the Dinagyang Festival will be moved to an earlier date. Instead of Jan. 23, Sangrines said they will either deploy today, Jan. 21, or on Wednesday.
“We expect that our personnel who augmented and other augmentation forces for the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan would arrive late afternoon today (Jan. 20) or Tuesday. We will immediately do a send-off even just a skeletal force for the meantime,” she said.
As previously stated, the ICPO declared that it had long mapped out security preparations, including the placement of checkpoints and chokepoints.
“But we will make necessary adjustments that will involve more frequency of checkpoints and setting up of chokepoints in certain areas,” she said.
Sangrines believed that the gun ban for Dinagyang Festival will help maintain peace and order.
The PNP earlier announced that permits to carry firearm outside of residence (PTCFOR) will be suspended during the Dinagyang Festival from Jan. 22 – 27, 2020.
Meanwhile, Sangrines said ICPO personnel were also told to strengthen their intelligence monitoring.
MURDERS
Latest reports indicated that the two broad daylight murders were unrelated.
The first incident happened 12 p.m. Sunday at Locsin Street in Barangay Cuartero, Jaro district when gunmen sprayed bullets at Allen Muller, 42, also a resident of Cuartero village.
Muller, a Tokhang surrenderer, suffered 28 gunshot wounds on different parts of his body.
The victim and call center agent was the brother of Mark Muller, 38, who was also killed by riding-in-tandem gunmen on Aug. 16, 2019 at Barangay Taft North, Mandurriao district.
Thirty minutes after Muller was shot, Delfin Britanico, 36, a resident of Mirasol Subdivision, Dicen Street, La Paz, was also gunned down at Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz.
Britanico, the youngest son of former Iloilo assemblyman Salvador “Buddy” Britanico, was declared dead at Medicus Medical Center.
Ten empty shells of caliber .45 pistol were recovered from the crime scene.
Police investigators are considering road rage as one of the motives of the killing.
The victim seemed to have figured in a verbal tussle with another motorist before the shooting incident happened.
Britanico’s quarry business is also another angle being followed by investigators.
Amid all of these incidents, Police Colonel Martin Defensor Jr., Iloilo City police director, said Dinagyang Festival will still be peaceful just like in previous years.
