Police, Defense mourn DILG chief's death

LAW enforcement agencies on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, describing the late Cabinet official as a "good leader" and "a model public servant."

"Sec. Jesse is a model family man and public servant. He balanced his duty as a father and as a government official," Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said in a statement.

"He made concrete efforts to better society, to serve the public and transform how government performs its duty," he added.

Gazmin added that Robredo's death is a great loss to the campaigns for bureaucratic reforms and good governance.

The 147,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP) also mourn the death of the head of the DILG family, PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome said in a statement.

"All PNP camps are hoisting the national colors at half mast as an expression of our great respect to a great man and a good leader who steered the DILG-PNP family through the straight and narrow path of proper public service," he added.

Bartolome, in behalf of the PNP, also extended sympathy to Robredo's family.

"We join the family and friends of the late secretary in prayer for the eternal repose of his soul," he said.

The PNP, which is under the DILG, garnered some notable achievements during Robredo's term. In the first half of this year alone, authorities recorded a 17.4 percent decline in the total crime volume in the country.

The PNP said the number of recorded criminal activities from January to June this year dropped to 80,520 incidents from the 68,154 cases recorded in the same period in 2011.

A "high" 34.17 percent crime solution efficiency rating during the first six months of the year was also posted by the PNP. Roughly, that would mean that three cases were solved in every 10 crime incidents reported with the arrest of the suspect and cases filed in court.

Also, 16,702 wanted persons were arrested including 74 criminals belonging to the list of Top Most Wanted Persons with rewards offered by authorities for their capture. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)