Klarex: Robbery not an indictment on Oro’s safety

TO his detractors who questioned his administration’s capacity to secure Cagayan de Oro in light of the Aug. 2 daylight pawnshop robbery, Mayor Rolando Uy said they should help rather than waste time criticizing him.

“Even if they are my political critics, they shouldn’t denigrate me at the expense of (casting doubts on) Cagayan de Oro City’s (safety). Because if they keep harping on the incident, all of us here in Cagayan de Oro will be affected. We should help remind others that (this robbery) is an isolated incident,” Uy said in Visayan during his online program today.

Mayor Uy said this two days after last Wednesday morning’s robbery of a pawnshop in the Cogon market area. Six armed robbers sped off on board motorcycles carting away P9 million worth of jewelry while one pawnshop store employee survived being shot by one of the suspects.

The city police launched a citywide manhunt to arrest the perpetrators.

Mayor Uy lamented that the daylight robbery occurred just hours after City Hall successfully launched the opening of the annual HIgalaay Festival at the Rio de Oro Boulevard.

“Still if my critics continue (to find fault in me) then my administration will double our efforts to secure the city,” Uy said in Visayan.

Mayor Uy reminded newly installed City Police Director Col. Salvador Radam that the pawnshop robbery incident is his ‘baptism of fire’ and that his swift resolution of the case will go a long way towards his confirmation.

In his Facebook post, Cocpo spokesman Maj. Ivan Viñas said Radam ordered the deployment of plainclothes police officers to scour the city’s streets for these armed robbery suspects.

“If his people solve the case I promised to reward them for their efforts,” Mayor Uy said in Visayan.

At the same time, Uy said he asked Councilor Romeo Calizo to enact an ordinance requiring businesses to hire security guards aside from installing their security cameras on their premises.

He said he is considering a proposal by the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. (Oro Chamber) to install more security cameras in critical parts of the city.

In an interview, Councilor Calizo — who chairs the 20th City Council’s committee on public order and safety — said they are considering requiring businesses to acquire their security cameras as part of their business requirements. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)