BE transparent.

This was the advice of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to the Central Visayas police after a ranking policeman was caught on video attending the birthday party of convicted robber and drug dealer Herbert “Ampang” Colangco inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“Daghan ingon ana (There’re several of them caught on video like that),” Osmeña told reporters on Wednesday.

Although he did not elaborate, the mayor said the video involving Senior Supt. Remus Medina reminded him of reports that some police officials were coddling drug personalities and maybe behind the spate of killings in Metro Cebu.

“Why are you (police) so quiet about this?” Osmeña asked.

Cebu Daily News tried but failed to reach Medina, currently the chief of the Regional Intelligence Division, through the cellular phone.

Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), on the other hand, begged off from issuing any statement on the issue.

“No comment,” he said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.

A video clip published in 2016 by GMA7’s 24 Oras showed Medina attending the birthday party of Colangco inside the NBP in 2013.

The three-minute news report showed clips and pictures of several public officials from Muntinlupa City, congressmen and police officers taking photos with Colangco.

The GMA’s report stated that the two police officials taking photos with Colangco were Senior Supt. Richard Dumbok and Medina.

The others named in the report were Chief Insp. Clarence Dongail, a murder convict; New Bilibid Prison Chaplain Msgr. Roberto Olaguer, Fr. Danilo Lukyaw and former Surigao Del Sur Rep. Philip Pichay.

It was not mentioned in the report where Medina and Dumbok were assigned when they attended Colangco’s birthday party.

Colangco was linked to several bank robberies in Metro Manila and was serving time at the NBP’s maximum security compound.

But there had been several reports that Colangco enjoyed special treatment while inside the penitentiary.

In 2016, shortly after he was elected into the Malacañang, President Duterte tagged Colangco as a member of a triad that ran the illegal drugs trade in the country. /with reports from Nestle L. Semilla and Inquirer.net