Baguio records crime drop

A 50 percent drop in crime at the country's Summer Capital was recorded by the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) since the start of the implementation of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

Police Colonel Allen Rae Co, BCPO city director, said since the implementation of the ECQ, a significant drop in criminal cases was noted in the city.

"Initially, during the start of the implementation, there was almost a 50 percent decrease but we are still awaiting the records for the second week. On the part of the BCPO in relation to the implementation of the ECQ, we are still maintaining four ECQ checkpoints, namely, at Naguilian Road, Kennon Road, Marcos Highway as well as one at the Bell Church entering La Trinidad, Benguet," Co explained.

BCPO has nine mobile checkpoints with four placed in the city proper and five situated in other critical areas.

"We are doing this in accordance with the 24-hour curfew and the mayor has been devising a scheme to further reduce the number of people on the streets. As it stands, our barangays have been divided into two, one group is allowed to go to market on Monday-Wednesday-Friday while another group goes to market on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule which was further subdivided into four time frames," Co added.

The Department of Interior and Local Government has also given orders to remove window hours for the operation of the market.

"The prohibition was not to limit the operation hours of the market. Our market remains open from 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. so there is no problem there, what is limited is the movement of the public is going to the market which is ultimately the purpose of the SILG instruction," Co said.

The city director was also asked by members of the City Peace and Order Council to conduct patrol in barangays to ensure the presence of police personnel, and supervise the conduct of barangay checkpoints.