Government and police officials in Dumaguete City and Oriental Negros said they do not favor the vigilante type of killing, known in Cebu and Davao, in dealing with the growing problem of cellphone snatching, robbery and killings.

Dumaguete Mayor Agustin Perdices said the summary killing of suspected criminals is illegal. "As Christians we have no right to take the life of anybody."

"What we would like to see is for these criminals to be put behind bars," Perdices said.

Since last year, cellphone snatching and robbery, particularly in Dumaguete, continued unabated. A still unidentified thief broke into the mayor's home on Friday, taking the cellphones of Perdices' son Agustin Jr., and his wife. Liza.

Last year, acting city treasurer Erlinda Tumongha, Teodorico "Angeling" Lajato, a close friend of Perdices, and a Filipino American student were among those murdered in the city. These cases remain unsolved.

Perdices admitted that there are some individuals who are determined to take the law into their own hands, out of frustration. But he said he still believes that, with the support of the community, this problem can still be solved.

Gov. George Arnaiz, for his part, said that, as a lawyer, he believes that suspected criminals are entitled to due process.

Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, police provincial director, also rejected the idea of vigilantism saying, it is against the law. He said these criminalities can be stopped if the people will help the police.

Chief Insp. Manuel Hidalgo, former PNP chief of Dumaguete and now with the provincial police, also said, suspects are entitled to due process. He underscored the need for the people to cooperate with the police instead of castigating the authorities for the problem.

In fact, Hidalgo admitted that the police is frustrated by the lack of interest of many victims to file charges against suspected criminals.

He said the police had already filed charges against some 25 "personalities" believed to have been involved in cellphone snatching and robbery in Dumaguete, but all of them were dismissed because the victims showed disinterest in pursuing the case. "Once their cellphones are recovered, the victims usually showed disinterest in pursuing the case, for whatever reasons," Hidalgo said, adding that there are also potential witnesses who refused to cooperate with the police.

"This is one of the serious frustrations the police had," he added.

Perdices said the people should take the responsibility of helping in the solution of the criminalities in the city.*RA

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