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Saturday, December 13, 2003
US, Britain issue advisory on RP's street crime
MANILA -- Britain and the United States advised their citizens to be vigilant as street crime could spike in Manila over the holiday season, and stressed that terrorism and kidnappings remain a threat.
The British embassy advised British institutions and businesses and representatives of all non-governmental organizations to constantly review their security, taking local advise when appropriate.
It advised first time visitors to arrange for friends to pick them up at the Manila airport or to use hotel transport services, to avoid displays of cash or jewelry, and to steer clear of con men who befriend tourists and then lace their drink with a date rape drug.
The U.S. State Department said in another travel advisory that crime is a "serious concern" in Manila.
"Americans traveling or residing in the Philippines are urged to exercise great caution and maintain heightened security awareness," the US State Department said.
"A number of security-related incidents highlight the risk of travel in certain areas due to incidents of kidnapping, bombings, and other violence and criminal activity," it said, specifically naming the southern Mindanao region.
The British embassy said there remained a "high general threat" of terrorism and kidnapping throughout the Philippines, with westerners and western entities as targets.
It also advised Britons "against all travel to central, southern and western Mindanao" as well as nearby southern islands.
Ambush
The same day, the advisory was released, a Chinese-Filipino couple was ambushed in Baliuag, Bulacan, according to reports reaching Police.
The couple was identified as Raymond and Mylene Kai.
The Kai couple was cruising along J.P. Rizal Street when two unidentified motorcycle-riding men overtook their vehicle and shot them.
Mylene died while Raymond survived after he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The victims' family reportedly refused to comment on the incident, but clarified the couple had no known enemies.
In Tagbilaran City, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 warned development planners Friday that the PNP expects "heightened terroristic activities" on the part of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) in the next few days because of the proximity of the national and local elections.
Not only will rebels once again be "extorting access and campaign fees" from politicians, he said, they are now taking their movement to the House of Representatives through the party-list elections.
"We should be on the lookout for parliamentary efforts to put their representatives in Congress through groups like Bayan and Anak Pawis," Garcia said.
To push for their candidates, he said, the CPP-NPA's armed component will conduct "terroristic activities to coerce both urban and rural voters to vote for their party-list groups."
Garcia assured, however, that with the PNP's more technologically advanced equipment, they will be better at keeping peace in the region.
He said they now have a digitized map of Central Visayas based on a global positioning system, and has boundaries marking individual barangays, and which can be converted into a three-dimensional image.
He said, they are also considering using a closed-circuit TV system to monitor activities in certain areas in Metro Cebu.
Garcia also reported a drop by 18 percent in the number of crimes committed in Central Visayas since January 2003.
But this is not all good news for the region.
PRO 7 Director Rolando Garcia told the Regional Development Council (RDC) 7, during its meeting Friday in Tagbilaran, Bohol, that while there are less crimes, there are also some "quite alarming developments."
First, Garcia said, 55 percent of crimes in the four provinces in Region 7 were committed in Cebu City this year.
When the city's neighbors are considered (from Consolacion town in the north to Talisay City in the south), the crimes committed in Metro Cebu already make up 70 percent of the total in the entire region.
Second, Garcia said while there are now lesser robberies, theft, murders, homicides and other index crimes reported, there is a "steady rise over the months" in what is traditionally called crimes against chastity.
These include rape and child molestation and make up 3.5 percent of the index crimes committed.
Index crimes are those punishable under the Revised Penal Code, while non-index crimes are those covered by special laws such as illegal logging.
In an interview after his presentation, Garcia said what is even more "alarming" is there are now more reported incest rape incidents.
He also noted that most cases of molestation involve children and minors.
While it is easy to blame substance abuse (both alcohol and drugs) on the part of the attacker, Garcia said, this is difficult to establish since most rape and molestation cases are reported several days or even months after the incident.
On the other hand, he said, the rise in the number of reported cases could also be attributed to "higher awareness" among victims and their guardians.Karen M. Flores and Miko Santos with AFP
(December 13, 2003 issue)
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