IT IS UNDENIABLE that the infamous Sibulan shooting in Negros Oriental on January 9 — perpetrated by a policeman who killed three fellow police officers and a civilian woman inside a girlie bar and later inside a car — was a huge blow to the name and image of the Philippine National Police (PNP) as a whole.
That is why it is understandable that Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, director of the Negros Island Regional Police Office, was furious over what happened.
He immediately relieved Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO) director Colonel Criscente Tiguelo and replaced him with Colonel Lito Patay.
Ibay’s primary objective was clear: to ensure an impartial investigation free from undue influence.
Fine.
REALLY, REALLY BAD
But what made the Sibulan shooting really, really bad?
First, the initial episode happened inside SAB Resto Bar, a known girlie bar in Barangay Tubtubon, Sibulan.
Second, the suspect — now the killer — was Staff Sergeant Bonifacio Saycon Jr., a member of the Sibulan Municipal Police Station.
Saycon shot and killed Sheila Mae Danaonao, a guest relations officer (GRO), inside SAB Resto Bar.
The next shooting incident happened inside a private car where Saycon was supposedly being shuttled back to the police station.
Still Saycon, still the shooter — this time killing three more victims: Sibulan police chief Captain Jose Edorhil Cimafranca, Senior Master Sergeant Tristan Chua, and Patrolman Albert Temblor.
Notably, these three police officers were with Saycon in the same girlie bar when he shot the GRO.
BAD EXAMPLES
The fact that Cimafranca, Chua, Temblor, Saycon, and two other unnamed police officers went to SAB Resto Bar — drank liquor, and even had a sing-along session — was plainly distasteful.
Section 3.1 of the PNP Ethics and Doctrine explicitly mandates police officers to conduct themselves properly in public, whether on or off duty.
There is also the PNP Administrative Code and circulars issued since the 1990s that clearly prohibit police officers from frequenting houses of ill repute.
Was Cimafranca unaware of these prohibitions? I don’t think so.
So why bring your subordinates to a girlie bar just to celebrate an extension of your birthday, knowing fully well that such a place is forbidden in your profession?
TONING DOWN
Now, Camp Crame appears to be toning down the impact of the Sibulan shooting on the PNP’s image, integrity, and credibility.
In a press conference in Quezon City on Monday, January 12, PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño ruled out jealousy as the motive behind Saycon’s shooting rampage.
Well and good — if that is true.
But talks on the ground, coupled with CCTV footage, suggest otherwise. Reports indicate that Saycon got angry when Danaonao left his side and transferred to Cimafranca’s.
The CCTV footage showed that Saycon did not go on a wild rampage. He simply stood up, walked toward Danaonao, and shot her three times.
Radio reports and interviews further revealed that Saycon allegedly had developed an interest in the woman victim — nothing more, nothing less.
Thus, it cannot be denied that Saycon appeared to be “struck by love at first sight,” failing to control his emotions toward Danaonao.
At that moment, it was as if his boss and fellow police officers had become his “karibal.”
With “love” dictating everything, Saycon never stopped to think of the consequences. In his mind, it seemed enough that his “karibal” would also suffer that night.
And so he did it. He succeeded.
Alas, it was too late when he realized the tragedy he had caused — dragging the entire PNP organization into a quandary, as the public now hurls uncomfortable questions that directly and indirectly besmirch the agency’s integrity.
FORBIDDEN PLACE
Yes, Saycon is not exempt from matters of the heart. If he became interested in Danaonao, that in itself is human and understandable.
But this criminal episode could have been avoided had Cimafranca not brought his men to that girlie bar in the first place.
Correct me if I am wrong, but everything in this mess boils down to the grave mistake of Cimafranca for hauling his subordinates to a place considered a “hell” in their profession.
Ibay, therefore, has every reason to be furious — because what happened reflects not only on individual actions but also on leadership within the entire Negros Island Region.
His anger is understandable. The Sibulan shooting now serves as a stark reminder to all police officers — especially chiefs of police across Negros Island — to observe decorum at all times, particularly in public places. They must refresh themselves on the prohibitions attached to their profession.
And it will always be wise to remember this simple line:
“Do not go to places forbidden to you.”
Simple as that. Gets?!/PN
