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Thursday, January 02, 2003
Crime vs property up in 2002
By Mildred V. Galarpe
TERROR reign in the country in the year of the horse adding to the present economic crisis and political instability.
The crime situation has alarmed economic planners and calls on the Philippine National Police leadership to address the matter.
Abductions and bombings were the highlights of the crime incidents in 2002 but robbery and cases of theft recorded the highest increase compared to the figures of the same period in 2001.
Crime trends showed that from January to October 2002 the PNP has recorded a total crime volume of 73,272 as against the 63,638 during the same period 2001 or an increase of 15.14 percent.
Statistics showed that of the different kinds of crimes kidnapping-for-ransom cases has gone down by 31.87 percent or 62 cases compared to the 91 cases reported in the same period of 2001.
But what bothers economic planners and businessmen is the low crime solution efficiency rate of only 88.97 percent of the total crime volume. In fact, this is even lower compared to the 91.04 percent crime solution efficiency rate of the same period in 2001.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) recorded the most number of crimes, a total of 16,226, followed by Region 7 with 11,367 and Region 4 with 10,725 in total crime volume.
Region 7 is composed of the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Bohol while Region 4 is composed of the provinces of Aurora, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Quezon, and Romblon.
Of the 16 regions in the country Region 10 recorded the highest increase in crime volume. It recorded 3,606 total crime volume from January to October 2002. This is 44.99 percent higher compared to the 2,487 total crime volume of the same period in 2001.
The provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental comprises Region 10.
Region 10 recorded the highest increase in crimes against person nationwide. It recorded an increase of 50.70 percent compared to the figures of the same period of 2001.
Following Region 10 is NCRPO with a recorded increase of 25.06 percent and Region 7 with 20.06 percent increase compared to figures of same period in 2001.
In crimes against properties Region 7 recorded the highest increase compared to the figures of the same period of 2001 which is at 89.87 percent. This is followed by Region 13 with a 40 percent increase and Region 10 with a 37.93 percent increase.
Robbery and theft cases recorded the highest increase in the first ten months of 2002 compared to the same period of 2001. Nationwide figures showed a 31.28 percent increase for robbery and 28.70 percent increase for theft cases.
Armm recorded the highest increase of robbery cases which is at 123.08 percent followed by Region 7 and Region 13. Region 7 on the other hand, topped in the cases of theft nationwide with an increase of 90.54 percent. This is followed by Region 6 and Region 8 all from the Visayas region.
Senior Supt. Ronaldo Roderos, Chief of Staff, Police Regional Office 7 had an explanation why crime volume has increased and crime solution efficiency have gone down.
Roderos explained that the police force is confronted with a number of factors like manpower, mobility, firearms and communications.
He added that Region 7 may have recorded the highest increase in most crimes, this is because Cebu is a highly metropolis area. It is the educational, commercial, religious, tourism center of Visayas and Mindanao.
The Philippine population has continued to grow, in 2002 alone a 2.3 percent growth rate was recorded. But the police force has remained constant; there is no new appointments expect for those replacing who retired, who are dead, injured, dismissed or separated from service or those who opt for early retirement.
Adding to the shortage in manpower, the police force is also confronted with the lack and shortage of mobility, firearms and communication facilities which plays a very important role in crime prevention.
Roderos explained that this is so because of government's dwindling resources to accommodate additional appointments.
The increase in crime volume can also be attributed to poverty especially in crimes against properties, which comprises a big chunk in the total crime volume.
Roderos said that this condition is further exacerbated with the country's ballooning budget deficit.
But Roderos is optimistic this problems can now be addressed especially with the announcement made by President Arroyo of her intentions not to run in the 2004 presidential race.
Roderos said the president's decision will now redound to priorities which are economic and security. Security covers law enforcement. The budgetary requirements of the PNP can now be given a focus by the president.
He said the announcement will now fast track measures that will improve the law enforcement agency in providing crime prevention and crime solution.
The year that was
The year 2002 is a picture of pain and turbulence. In the capital, one can very well remember the two-hour hostage drama in Pasay City bus terminal victimizing a four-year-old boy which ended in a violent note.
Both the hostage taker and the victim died with police attempted to rescue the victim.
In Abra, Abrenians were rocked with the murder of Tineg Mayor Clarence Benwaren who was gunned down while attending a church wedding in Laguna.
The death of Benwaren was linked to the political war in Abra which eventually resulted to the rounding up of local officials in possession of suspected illegal firearms.
Because of the incident, Abra gets the tag of being the killing fields in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
In Region 7, 2002 is a year of robberies, deaths. At least four bank robberies were reported from January to November 2002.
Another highlight is the massacre of the Bacolod family, the in-laws of Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA)Divine Master Ruben Ecleo.
A lone gunman, with a hail of bullets, interrupted an after-dinner chat of the Bacolod household in Subangdaku, Mandaue City last June 18. Within minutes, four Bacolods were killed, their bodies left in the mud outside their home: Ben, 36, a father of four; sister Evelyn, 32; and parents Elpidio, 62, and Rosalia, 58.
They died thinking that Ruben Ecleo Jr., whom they suspected of killing his wife Alona Bacolod in January this year, remained free more than 160 days since Alona's death.
The Ecleo saga continues when he surrenders to authorities a day after his in-laws were gunned down.
Before he yielded, holding aloft a white shirt as he walked down from his hilltop mansion in Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte, a gunfight with the police and military killed 16 PBMA members and one policeman.
Recently, Cebuanos was shocked to reports that four unidentified men gunned down Cebuano Police Supt. John Campos on Dec. 5 in Parañaque, Metro Manila, while he sat eating at a counter with his back to the street.
He died before he could clear his name of allegations he formed part of a top-level PNP ring behind the trafficking of confiscated illegal drugs.
Davao's peace and order situation was marred by salvaging and mysterious deaths of suspected criminals and the controversy involving the closure of the mining area in Mt. Diwalwal.
In General Santos, 2002 was by far the most turbulent in the history of General Santos City.
In the fist quarter of the year hotelier Carlos Belonio and South Korean national Jae Keon Yoon were abducted by a group of armed men who introduced themselves as members of Abu Sufian, a kidnap for ransom group said to be operating in Sarangani area.
In March, an improvised explosive device exploded outside Fitmart Department Store in Tacurong City injuring two civilians.
On April 21, a powerful bomb exploded outside Fitmart Department Store killing 15 people and wounding at least 55 others.
It was the worst bombing incident to occur in the city.
Early in the year, more than one ton of explosive materials and 17 disassembled M-16 Armalite rifles were also seized by joint elements of the PNP and AFP inside a residential compound in Labangal.
The explosives, enough to flatten half of General Santos, were later traced to Roman Fathur Al-Ghozie, an Indonesian national who is said to be a ranking leader of Jemaah Islamiya.
Al-ghozie, who was arrested in March in Manila, admitted owning the said explosive materials and was promptly sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment by a local court here.(With reports from Sun.Star General Santos) |
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