DyLA radio broadcaster and Daily Tribune correspondent Rico Osmeña. (File photo)
CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has vowed to assign personnel who will secure radio broadcaster and Manila broadsheet correspondent Rico Osmeña who was injured in a shooting incident during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette on December 16 last year.
Lt. Col. Maria Theresa Macatangay, CCPO information officer, said in a press briefing that the order to put security detail on Osmeña came straight from Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos.
“Well, technically it should be the journalist who experiences the threats (who) should apply and (such application will be) validated by his colleagues or through the KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) and to also subject to further validation with the PNP. What is different in this case is that the incident already happened,” she said, adding that security will be given following “compliance with parameters needed”.
Macatangay noted some important procedures under the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) rules in approving security details to certain individuals who "passed" a certain level of threat assessment.
The Special Investigation Task Group Osmeña is still gathering more data to identify the perpetrator and file the proper criminal charges according to the evidence gathered.
The authorities are confronted with the dilemma of concluding the investigation, following reports from the media itself that Osmeña was exposing certain individuals who are allegedly involved in carrot smuggling.
Osmeña once reported to a police station after receiving threats believed to be stemming from his reports of smuggling activities in this city.
Macatangay said the investigators are now backtracking incidents that happened and the persons he was talking with prior to the shooting incident along Urdaneta St. in the downtown area here that injured Osmeña on his back.
He is still recuperating but already handling his radio program for DyLA at his home. He is also writing news articles for Daily Tribune.
“Hopefully… we will be able to determine the perpetrator of the crime,” Macatangay said. (PNA)
