The nth crime

YESTERDAY (Sunday, March 17), the People’s March against Crime and Violence commenced despite the gloomy weather, because gloomy seems to be the situation of Cagayan de Oro City right now, and the death of a money changer trader was the pinnacle that the city is facing a new typhoon: unimaginable crime peaks.

Even if the civil society is waking up and would want to expand their vigilance, but the risk of lives can be at stake here as criminals can just bury their bullets against those who opposes them. And inasmuch as law abiding citizens can carry firearms to protect them (although I don’t encourage gun ownership), they can’t because of the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections in time for the election season.

In fact, the other late night, I was just walking towards our house, I felt doubtful and bothered every time I encounter motorcycles with drivers wearing helmets. What if they will just stop and rob me, and if I refuse, will they shoot me? The only valuable possessions I have are my laptop and cellular phone, will that suffice? If not, because I don’t have large amount of money, will they kill me? If I’ll apply basic self defense, I’m sure I’ll be dead with their guns.

These criminals are outright bastards; they disrespect the law, so much more of lives. But who knows inside of them are vulnerable, that they don’t have a choice but to resort to criminality to be out of poverty. But that’s a lame excuse isn’t it? I want to believe that these recent rise of criminalities in the city was brought about by organized crime groups, not necessarily the elite, Mafia-ish types, but cunning enough to gather like packs of wolves.

Let’s talk about who’s in charge of keeping the peace. There’s the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, there’s a new police chief installed from the provincial police office of Misamis Oriental. I presume they are keeping their eyes in the streets by now, and police visibility can be felt during nights.

Unfortunately, modern-day criminals are not the vampire types anymore, they’re sucking the blood in broad daylight, in front of many people, and they are that outright confident because they knew even if many have seen it, these people are too intimidated and shocked to what they have seen and act on it immediately.

Of course, if there’s the police force, there’s the local government unit. We have this social system of which the police and military force ought to be under the command of a civilian leader especially in times of disturbances like we are experiencing now.

Oh, but some guy up there in the city hall took it personally and looks like he doesn’t want to cooperate with the police chief who just came from a province he is not with good terms with its political leader, and that leader is now contesting to his local executive position this May. Instead, he blames it as a propaganda tool to “divert” the issue from the provincial leader’s controversial audit reports in the Provincial Capitol.

Whether the audit issues are true or not, or something it has grounds, it’s still a lame and dumb excuse. Because the truth is, the overall situation we are right now is like we are buffalo stuck in a quicksand, as we are slowly being eaten alive by hungry hyenas. Totally we are inutile and defenseless.

(Nef Luczon is a freelance journalist and a part-time communications faculty and trainer. He is also a film and art enthusiast. Read his blog at Nefoi.blogspot.com and send comments to nefluczon@gmail.com)