US embassy cable - 05MANILA129

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000129 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/PMBS, INR/EAP, INR/B, DRL/CRA 
NSC FOR GREEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINS, RP 
SUBJECT: CEBU MAYOR IMPLICATED IN SERIES OF VIGILANTE-STYLE 
KILLINGS 
 
REF: A. 04 MANILA 04251 
 
     B. 03 MANILA 6557 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Andrew McClearn for Reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  There have been 14 vigilante-style killings 
recently in Cebu.  Critics have implicated Cebu Mayor Tommy 
Osmena in the slayings based on his decision to create a 
special police squad to hunt down criminals.  Cardinal Vidal, 
local congressmen, Cebu's Vice Mayor, and human rights groups 
have raised public concerns about the killings.  In pressing 
his anti-crime fight in such extra-judicial directions, 
Osmena seems to be modeling himself after Rodrigo Duterte, 
the notorious mayor of Davao City, where there have been over 
60 vigilante-style killings in the past year.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Killings in Cebu 
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2.  (U) There have been 14 vigilante-style killings recently 
in Cebu City.  The killings began on December 22 when two 
hooded men on a motorcycle shot dead a local criminal figure 
in a drive by shooting.  Four more men, each suspected by 
police of involvement in criminal activity, were gunned down 
in separate drive by shootings the next day; two of them were 
at work, two were asleep.  The pattern continued on December 
27 when a lone gunman allegedly shot to death three suspected 
criminals.  The killings continued on December 29 when five 
more suspected criminals were killed.  On December 30, a 
garbage collector suspected of involvement in petty drug 
dealing was also gunned down.  In several of the cases 
mentioned above, the victims' body was reportedly marked with 
a sign stating, "I am a thief."  Besides sharing a similar 
checkered past, each of the victims reportedly had spent time 
in Cebu's criminal detention center. 
 
3.  (U) Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General 
Edgar Aglipay has ordered an investigation into the string of 
killings.  The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also 
initiated its own investigation. 
 
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Cebu Mayor Implicated 
--------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) Critics have implicated Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmena in 
the slayings based on recent statements he has made. 
Immediately before the killings began, Mayor Osmena announced 
the formation of a special 24-member police squad tasked "to 
suppress and prevent crimes" on December 21.  Osmena noted: 
"We have to be more aggressive.  It (the team) will seek and 
destroy criminal types of activity."  During his press 
briefing, Osmena noted that USD 200-400 bounties will go to 
police officials who "permanently disable or neutralize" 
criminals.  Osmena said the team would be called the "Hunter" 
squad.  The press later reported that Chief Inspector Arnel 
Banzon of Cebu's PNP SWAT team would supervise two 12-person 
groups led by SPO4 Rex Campos and SPO1 Serafin Asingjo. 
 
5.  (U) Cebu City Police Chief Melvin Gayotin, in recent 
remarks, strongly supported the creation of the team, 
clarifying that it would not practice "vigilante justice," 
but rather help to "find and arrest criminals."  Cebu 
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on December 24 applauded Osmena's 
efforts to combat crime in the city.  When he was recently 
accused of sponsoring the summary killings, Osmena replied, 
"I am not behind it.  But I will say I inspired it.  I don't 
deny that." 
 
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Protests Against Killings 
------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Leading public figures have expressed concern about 
the killings.  Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu admonished 
Osmena and appealed to the new anti-crime unit to arrest 
suspects and not kill them, noting, "I cannot understand how 
we can terminate the lives of men without the just process we 
are used to."  Vidal, who campaigned against the infamous 
"sparrow" (New People's Army) death squads in the 1980s in 
Davao City, also expressed his deep concern over the violent 
killings during a January 7 meeting with Dep Polcouns.  Raul 
del Mar, an influential Cebu Congressman, publicly echoed 
Vidal's concerns.  Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu City's 1st 
District also protested, commenting that: "the ends never 
justify the means."  Osmena's Vice-Mayor Michael Rama also 
came out against the vigilante-style killings.  Many 
Philippine human rights groups also protested the killings, 
urging the national government to investigate the situation 
fully. 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  (C) In pressing his anti-crime fight in such 
extra-judicial directions, Osmena seems to be modeling 
himself after the notorious Mayor Duterte of Davao City (see 
Reftels).  Duterte is clearly behind a group called the 
"Davao Death Squad," which has been implicated in over 60 
vigilante-style killings in the past year.  We are not sure 
why Osmena is advocating such extreme measures.  The crime 
rate in Cebu has gone up, but not dramatically so.  Consular 
Representative in Cebu told poloff that he thought that most 
Cebuanos supported Osmena on the issue, however, as they see 
crime as a serious problem.  Hopefully, the investigation 
into the situation ordered by PNP Director General Aglipay 
will end the rash of killings.  Unfortunately, there have 
been similar investigations in Davao in the past, but to no 
avail. 
Ricciardone