DUMAGUETE CITY – The police chief of Dumaguete City on Monday allayed public fear on reports of what is perceived to be a series of random stabbing incidents over the weekend by the same suspect or suspects for apparently no reason at all.
Lt. Col. Gregorio Galsim said “we are on top of the situation” as authorities have found a person of interest that they are now tracking down amid rising public fear with several posts on social media calling for immediate police action.
Galsim said they have acquired video footages from closed circuit television (CCTV) security cameras of different private establishments to help them in their investigation.
He declined to give additional details but assured the people that there is nothing to worry about because more police personnel have been deployed on the streets, especially at night.
Both foot patrol and mobile patrol teams are constantly doing the rounds of the city to prevent a repeat of what had happened this weekend, Galsim said.
At least three young people were stabbed in separate incidents without provocation by the unidentified perpetrators.
One victim was stabbed while eating at a hamburger joint, another one was riding with a friend who was driving a motorcycle, and another victim was attacked at the “tempurahan”, an area at the boulevard where “tempura” stalls are set up at night.
There appears to be a pattern in the stabbing incidents, as an ice pick was used, initial police investigation showed.
The descriptions of the suspects on board a Smash motorcycle fit the description provided by the victims and witnesses to the police investigators, Galsim said. (PNA)
