Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Let’s start making mayors & governors accountable for crime in their areas

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By Raïssa Robles

CRIME-LOGOEarly this morning, five young men ages 20 to 23 were walking on a bridge when gunmen on two motorbikes shot them dead.

The morning news shows on TV and radio quickly phoned senior police officers for updates.

NO ONE called the mayors of Makati City and Pasay City to press them for their comment, since the crime occurred along the boundary of both cities. This is even though under our local government set-up, the mayor is the overlord of his city or town. He calls the shots.

It’s to the mayors’ advantage that no one calls them to account for the rising criminality in their areas.

And it’s high time that citizens and the media start pressuring mayors AND governors to be accountable for reducing criminal incidents in their area. This was what they were voted to office for.

The Local Government Code (Republic Act No. 7160) gives chief local government executives vast powers to curb criminality in their area. When it comes to maintaining peace and order, The Code gives the same powers to the city mayors, the town mayors and the provincial governors. These are to:

Act as the deputized representative of the National Police Commission, formulate the peace and order plan of the city and upon its approval, implement the same; and as such exercise general and operational control and supervision over the local police forces in the city, in accordance with R.A. No. 6975;

Call upon the appropriate law enforcement agencies to suppress disorder, riot, lawless violence, rebellion or sedition, or to apprehend violators of the law when public interest so requires and the city police forces are inadequate to cope with the situation or the violators.

I don’t know why mayors aren’t pressured by the media and the public to do their part in reducing crime. Personally, as a citizen, I seem to have the same attitude towards mayors and governors. For instance, when akyat bahay gangs were active in our area, no one among us petitioned the mayor to do something about it. Kasi nakakahiya. Busy si mayor. Sa pulis na lang.

But the police rarely solve such crimes. They’re mostly good for recording them on their blotters at the stations.

UPDATE: as of 7:06 PM, July 3, 2013

The National Police Capital Region director Leonardo Espina ordered the police in Pasay City to resolve the case asap.

Nothing is said about the mayor of Pasay also being held responsible for making sure this multiple murder is solved.

We have to change our attitudes toward those in political office. They are being paid by our tax money to, among others, drastically reduce crime.

Let me just cite three recent crime incidents.

A tragic jeepney robbery occurred last March 6 in Manila. A 30-year-old female passenger was shot dead in the pre-dawn hours after she refused to give robbers her mobile phone, computer tablet and wallet that contained a lot of cash.

The new Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada is correct when he said today that he had issued a new order to the new Manila police chief to “eliminate” all criminals in the city. Estrada told ABS-CBN:

“Eh talagang ang bilin ko sa pulis, sa bagong chief of police, sabi ko within 100 days, kailangan ubos ang kriminal sa Maynila. Kapag hindi, kailangan mag-resign kayo.”

While the order shows Mayor Estrada making himself fully accountable for reducing crime in the capital, I am curious to find out what the phrase “ubos and kriminal” means and how the police chief will interpret it operationally.

In Makati City, the stretch of China Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo) has been plagued with numerous stick-up incidents on board passenger jeepneys plying the road.

The latest hold-up incident there was reported by an employee of Philippine Daily Inquirer – which is located along Chino Roces. The crime took place during rush hour.

Please read the excerpt of The Inquirer report below:

The Inquirer tried to obtain records on the number of jeepney robberies along Chino Roces Avenue recently but the police precincts had no consolidated report. The thoroughfare is under the jurisdiction of four precincts and four barangays, according to the police.

John Reyes, a village watchman for Barangay Pio del Pilar, said robberies on Pasong Tamo have indeed become rampant and brazen.

“Just last night (Tuesday) around 7 p.m., passengers of a jeepney in front of the Citimotors on Pasong Tamo lost their mobile phones to robbers,” he said.

Reyes said he was not exactly sure of the common profiles of the robbers but he has recorded three cases since January involving two men, one is burly and another is lanky.

“They would normally park their motorcycle near where they will decide to declare the holdup,” Reyes said.

Reached for comment, Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban, the city police chief, said the Makati police and members of the public Safety Battalion of the Southern Police District regularly patrolled the streets including Chino Roces Avenue and Dela Rosa Street to deter crimes.

But he noted that robbery groups could also be watching the police’s movements and strike whenever they were not visible.

From the report, it seems robberies continue to happen because no barangay and no police precinct is in charge of the entire avenue since the street spans four barangays and four precincts.

However, notice in the report that the Mayor of Makati City, who would have been in charge of the entire area, was not asked to comment on the rising robberies.

Here’s another report of a jeepney robbery, this time in Quezon City before dawn. A Channel 4 reporter was robbed off his mobile phone, a flash disk and a shirt. The report doesn’t say whether he was wearing the shirt and was made to strip it.

More robberies go unreported in the media, I bet. Because they happen to ordinary people and no one is injured. Just shaken in their trust of their fellow men.

I’ve heard policemen give this advice on the air – when someone robs you at gunpoint, give your valuables and don’t fight back.

It’s good advice. And one that I once had to follow to the letter when two men boarded a cab I was in. The policeman who took down my statement said afterward that it was good I had some cash I just withdrew from the ATM to pay my phone bill. Otherwise, the robbers might have shot in anger.

The latest robbery that got reported in the papers took place just two weeks ago along busy Katipunan Avenue.

A female law student boarded a cab in front of a supermarket along Katipunan to go to her evening class at the University of the Philippines College of Law. The cab driver announced the hold-up. Three other men were involved. She lost all her gear.

Now Katipunan Avenue has for years been notorious as a crime spot. It’s a mini-university belt in Quezon City. Thousands of students frequent and live in the area.

Here’s what I suggest those studying and residing in the area do. Each residential condo has an association. The two schools there have student organizations. The business establishments there have owners. All of them can write separate and joint letters, not just to the police but also to the city mayor and demand action.

You have the right to do that. Your taxes are paying their salaries.

Oh, and when you submit your letters to the Office of the Mayor, make sure to have another copy stamped “received” and get a contact number and name with whom to follow up your letter. Otherwise, your letters disappear into the black hole of the bureaucracy.

And if you don’t get ANY ANSWER and crime incidents continue, Facebook it. Tweet it. Make noise about it. Stage a rally about it. And don’t vote for them in the next election.

Comments

  1. The Leader of notorious robbery group in Pasong Tamo, Makati City is already arrested by Southern Police District.

  2. SAD to say Manilans are on their way. . .
    (so warble Harry Belafonte)
    For many a day they will have ERAP till next election day
    Filipinos get the government they deserve
    Manilans deserve the mayor they preferred

    Young ERAP wasn’t so SO SO as mayor of San Juan
    Because as a UP Study then showed he was not part
    Of the community power structure of San Juan
    Big guns and brains in business and academe
    Just like MAKATI were the real engines of growth.

    Progress factors need a bedroom community
    Where they can sleep, recharge and fornicate
    Makati and San Juan have retained theirs
    While Manila’s retrogress factors went viral
    Who will help ERAP? Este who will help Manila?

    Manila has Ongpin and Divisoria helping other cities
    Makati has its favelas, este gated villages
    While San Juan has its Greenhills and whatever
    Their mayors notwithstanding and regardless
    Only in Manila, sad to say Manilans are on their way .. .

    • I KNOW THE ISSUE IS ABOUT CRIME IN MANILA

      A Harlem rapper will fart :

      DO YOUR JOB MAN to the chief of police
      PUT ‘EM IN THE HOLE MAN to the judge
      DON’T BE A PIG, MAN — to the mayor

      SERIOUSLY

      Ms Raissa is right, peace and good order is a major
      accountability of all mayors, which means almost
      zero criminality in his jurisdiction.

      Deadlines in days or hours is an indication of situation difficulties
      and uncertainties, deadlines is akin to the “isang bala ka lang”
      braggadocio.

      Erap should have sat doiwn with the po9lice chief and a DILG rep
      to adopt actions, timing of their executions and the repercussions
      of failure. Ang problema ilang dekada na palaging hilaw
      ang sinaing; oras na para palitan ng nilugaw.

    • nah, they dont have to put up with him, or go down with him, and suffer. decisions can be reversed..

      they can do a morsi on him, the egyptian prez morsi elected by the people, also got pushed out of office by the people.

      there is a limit of how much people can take.

      • If you believe Eric Von Daniken, and his first astronauts (God)
        and the post dinosaur epoch, the Egyptians are a people of
        no equal in the universewith their pyramids and mummies.
        Manilans are unique too, they have their Tondo, Baseco
        and Putting Bato. Manila may have Luneta but that’s no Tharir
        Square. What you said is not likely and may never happen.

        kapampangans DID a peaceful Fr. Panlilio (recall) let that be the
        Filipino aberrant model, the removal of a seemingly good Governor
        by a grateful people to the powers that be.

        • Come to think of it ERAP’s response to a volatile ruckus
          while in Malacanang was to ride the barge and cross the
          river waving to his followers with a smile. He may yet
          be made to cross the boundary to San Juan.

  3. “ERAP told ABS-CBN:

    “Eh talagang ang bilin ko sa pulis, sa bagong chief of police, sabi ko within 100 days, kailangan ubos ang kriminal sa Maynila. Kapag hindi, kailangan mag-resign kayo.”

    Siguradong hindi kayang ubusin (eliminate) ang kriminal sa Maynila.

    Eh, kung hindi mag-resign ano magagawa ni ERAP? Sige nga.

    Kaya ba nI ERAP na tanggalin sa serbisyo o suspindihin o ibaba ng ranggo o itapon sa Sulu ang sinumang pulis? Ang magagawa lang ni ERAP ay hilingin (hindi utos) sa Chief, PNP or DILG Secretary na palitan ang Chief of Police ng Maynila. Malamang pa nga ay mabigo si ERAP sa hiling niya na palitan ito.

    • I think the grand-daddy of all criminals is sitting on the mayor’s chair! who’s going to get this mandarambol?

  4. Some lawmakers are now proposing a constitutional amendments pertaining to the economy as well as peace and order.

    Among other proposals, they want to return the control of local police forces to the mayors after 25 years of failure in the experiment as a national police force.

    “Rodriguez, who launched last year a nationwide roadshow for Charter change under the auspices of the Centrist Democratic Party, said amending certain outdated provisions in the Constitution would result in fundamental political and economic reforms.

    “He said now is the best time to amend the Constitution as there are no doubts on the sincerity of President Aquino to implement structural reforms.

    “He said he would again file a bill calling for a constitutional convention to amend the Constitution.

    “I concur with Speaker Sonny Belmonte’s position that there are certain provisions in our 1987 Constitution pertaining to the economy which need to be amended,” Atienza said in statement.

    “But I would like to add that interconnected with these economic provisions, we should also push for much-needed reforms in the country’s peace and order condition,” he said.

    “He also said amendments should include allowing city and town mayors to regain control of local police forces.

    “The experiment of having a national police force has been tried for the last 25 years, and I believe present conditions will show that it is time to return to our original, more efficient setup,” he said.”

    http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/07/05/961769/business-groups-support-cha-cha

    • It won’t work! We changed it and it didn’t work. Now, again a change of the changed…it’s not the law provisions that needs changing but the officials concerned who don’t change what was changed!

      CHANGE change CHANGE…public officials! Enforced what was changed! This is the 1st ‘crime’ by our public officials – refusal to obey and enforce the law as changed!

      • leona, I move that they all be given stem cell therapy by the same german doctor holed up in a hotel that botched up the previous therapies, ha, ha, ha. that’s the kind of change I’d like given to them. ooh, la, la.

      • THINK A LOOK AT THIS:

        TO CHANGE to what was previously changed is actually
        changing change for another uncertain change. It is like
        saying Change the change to no change when what it
        really means is GO BACK and START AGAIN.

        Scientists of the cosmos doubt it is possible to GO BACK
        In time; Einstein’s speed of light is to the future not to
        the past. It is even doubtful we can repeat our past lives
        thru reincarnation. To improve we need to be reborn
        as somebody else.

        Restore police control to the mayors? It’s not as easy
        as retrospective accounting of a mayor’s role, It’s
        complicated and systemic. The solution is the problem.

        • I suppose the manilenyos are happy now. he did not only fire policemen but is also thinking of imposing higher property taxes. wala daw kasing pera ang city of manila. babawiin na yata niya ngayon ang perang nagastos niya sa election. ang bilis naman!

    • I agree sir @rene ,,,, for economic provisions so or add also the provision against political dynasty ….a detailed and exact provision on prohibition of a political dynasty . Opportunist politicians and families must not be given any IOTA of mis-interpretation about any given provision or rewritten provisions of our Constitution..

      • IRR or implementing rules and regulations shall not be needed in expressing the VOICE of the people against political dynasty and also if foreigners ownership of real properly in the Philipppines will be ratified by the people, an EXACT MEANING must be reduced into writings giving no room for our Lawyers to misinterpret any new law.

      • [email protected]

        I agree. Now is the time to push aggressively for a law against political dynasty. It has been established that the poorest provinces in the Philippines are those in the hands of these dynasties. I am referring, at the least, to those related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity. Meaning spouses, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, children, siblings and in-laws only. Cousins are excluded in my book.

        • THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT before involving UP denizens at the
          time of the assumption of St Cory to Malacanamg. The draft
          anti dynasty bill was simply NO FATHER OR MOTHER OR
          CHILDREN, NO WIFE, NO BROTHER, OR IN-LAWS OF THE
          ABOVE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO RUN FOR OFFICE.

          they (MAY THEIR TRIBE PERISH) mangled it beyond recognition.
          The RESULT was the much abused LIMITED TERMS OF
          OFFICE until AFTER the next election.

          The hope of the fatherland lies with the youth, the youth
          now populates the internet. On constitutional change, it may yet
          happen. CUT THE APPENDAGES OF THE HYDRA (dynasty).

  5. I think what the country needs is a lot of effort by the government to remind people what it is like to be morally sound.

    Government has its own television station PTV4, maybe they need to re-run some of those old shows that revolve around the Pinoy’s good values. Of course there should be no political spins or self-serving agendas involved. But please, don’t get Carlo J. Caparas again and his humongous P1.2B fee.

    Nangyayari kasi ngayon tinitingala ng nakararaming mamamayan ang mga taong wais, madiskarte at magaling manlamang maski na masama ang ginagawa–dahil sa naiiangat nila ang kanilang kabuhayan at ng kanilang pamilya.

    • I agree with you, Keith. Naiba na talaga ang ating mundo ngayon. Maraming mas tumitingala sa mga may pera kahit na di kagandahan at di galing sa sariling kayod ang pinanggalingan ng kayamanan. Paano ba naman, kung ang telenobela nating sinusubaybayan ay ukol sa lalaki o babaeng nakatagpo ng mayaman at naging maayos ang buhay–tulad ng Sir Chief na usong uso ngayon. At ang kailangan ay may backer, at kiss-ass ang ugali para maka-angat sa pwesto. Nga lang para sa akin, hindi wais tinatawag sa mga taong madiskarte at magaling manlamang, dahil kung tunay na wais nga, ay alam nilang what goes around comes around. Smart siguro, hindi wais.

      • I like the courage and the person who adopts the name polpot to drive home
        the hint about his kind of ideas posted here in Plaza Miranda. In Cambodia
        before the name polpot became global, dogs (askals) at night DO NOT BARK,
        THEY HOWL AS IF SCARED OF THE GRIM REAPER. Ang dami daw kasing
        gumagala pagkagat ng dilim na hindi alam kung ano ang nangyari sa kanila.

  6. I would love to see real (not faked) statistics on the correlation between crime rates and the prevalence of dynasties. We know that poverty and dynasties correlate.

    Was the crime rate under Robredo’s reign as major in Naga less than the Filipino average for similar sized cities? My gut feeling is that a major who can open communication lines with the citizens as Robredo did, will make a major, major difference.

    Once I got caught by a scamming traffic enforcer, supported by doctors and police. The bruises on his legs, testified by a doctor as caused by me hitting him with my car, were 20cm above the ground, my bumper is 45 cm above the ground. I couldn’t find a safe way to report it (and my lawyer said “It’s more fun in the Philippines but it cost some money. Just enjoy the experience”! So I settled paying for the X-rays and the antibiotics)

    Publish the statistics, set-up sites to report crimes and scams, make majors accountable, 100% agree.

    • sana may like button dito sa comment form, para ma-like ko ang comment ninyo. What happened to you also happened to me, twice. One instance, a jeepney crossed a red light along Ramon Magsaysay cor Araneta, and hit my car (I was the second car in that 3rd lane crossing the intersection, meaning a first car safely crossed). An MMDA guy immediately handled the case, and passengers who disembarked were telling me the jeepney driver was indeed overspeeding. Lo and behold, when we reached the MMDA satellite office along EDSA Kamuning, the MMDA guy changed the story, saying the traffic light was defective, which absolved the jeepney driver of any responsibility. What can I do? All the passengers left already, the only other witness around was my daughter, who was traumatized by the situation.

      In another situation, my son was turning right into the parking lot of a resto near ABS CBN when a speeding motorbike with two women hit our right fender and both bike riders fell and one was injured. Obviously, we were along the curb, and the motorbike was overtaking on the wrong lane. Our car was signalling to turn right coz we were telling another companion in the car convoying with us to also turn right into the resto (as the driver did not know where to go). One of the bikers sustained injuries in the mouth and had to be brought to East Avenue. A relative immediately came and flashed her ABS CBN ID, threatening to file a case against us if we will not shoulder the medical expenses. Sad to say, the guard of the resto who observed the situation refused to meddle, though the onlooker (istambay) immediately surrounded us and started harassing us. We ended up paying for the medical expenses, plus had to fork over additional “allowances” for the person who got injured. The policeman advised us to just settle the case to end problems, even though he mentioned that we were in the right.

      These types of situation when people could no longer expect that truth and justice would prevail is a precursor of anarchy. REally, the government should clean up and be taken to task for all their failures in delivering their work successfully. Had they been in the private sector, such kinds of results would have them packing up and out of a job.

  7. The reason why crime is rampant in MM is the perpetrators know that they can easily get away with it,sometimes with the collusion of the police. I’ve lived in Davao for the past 15 years and crime is very low since Duterte is one tough mayor. You commit a crime, immediately he is after your neck. I guess that’s the way to do it for Metro Manila.

    Here in the US, you call 911 for emergency….in 2 minutes police cars are there. So I believe that we should train our law enforcers more in crime prevention and this includes barangay watchmen. Also we have to keep the community involved.

  8. I CAN’T write a draft, then copy and paste IT here. Not anymore.
    I guess those in the cyberspace rat race are doing all they can
    to make their programs or what nots BUCKS-FRIENDLY
    wiithout saying good bye to user friendly.

    The impact of the economic crisis to bucks-making is not
    even to have enough time to bid good bye to the good old days.
    a little part of it is JUST GONE.

    my solution tested only once: open your WORD as another WINDOW,
    HIGHLIGHT AND DRAG YOUR DRAFT TO THIS WINDOW.
    TELL ME AND OTHERS IF IT WORKS.

  9. This is not exactly off-topic but refers to the youngest echelon of local government….and since we are on the subject of accountability……. let me contribute this thought:
    the SK…Sanggunian Kabataan. Today, Comelec Comm. L. Tagle has proposed its abolition, truly short of declaring it a most unncecessary nuisance. His concerns and arguments are sober and called for. Unnecessary expense, for starters.

    Our national disease is politics. The existence and continuing presence of SK in the national bloodstream is simply an exacerbation of that disease.

    May I suggest that CPM, with Raissa, et al taking the lead, in a separate blog, initiate a serious discussion of this issue. I believe it is a worthwhile national concern that has reached societally regressive depths. Napapanahon na para puksain. Pisiling matindi ang pigsa. Ang SK ay naglalaman ng nana! Pus, can anyone imagine anything uglier/dirtier under our collective skins?! An unattended boil can be gangrenous!!!!

  10. Dear Ms. Raissa,

    Having had a personal experience of being held up at gunpoint, I am really bothered by the rampant and seemingly unchecked criminality in our country. I believe however that if authorities seem to be helpless regarding crime, citizens have a right to do something about it. The idea may not be kosher to human rights advocates and I too have reservations about it but when heinous crimes happen, my resistance to it seem to subside a little.

    I call this idea Doctrine of Public Self Defense and if I may, I would like to share my blog post about it:

    Although I am against the death penalty, I will be a hypocrite if I deny feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction whenever I learn about a notorious criminal who has killed or harmed other people being eliminated by the police or the public. And it does not matter if the criminal was slain in a shootout albeit under suspicious circumstances or a public lynching. What matters to me is that at least the public have one less criminal to lose sleep over.

    In order to reconcile my conflicting stance about the death penalty and elimination of notorious criminals, I am toying with the idea of the right of the public to defend themselves, their lives and properties by permanently eliminating those who they catch as having committed violent and heinous crimes against them or those they caught as having deadly weapons at the time they were committing the crime.

    While we have our laws and the police who are supposed to address the problem of criminality in our country, I believe that this problem will be more effectively addressed if there is greater public involvement.

    If a person can justifiably kill another man to defend and protect his own life, the public too should have this right to defend itself and its peace. This is what I call the Doctrine of Public Self Defense.

    http://fidelismo.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-10-25T13:13:00%2B08:00&max-results=10

  11. State of affairs can leave one dumbstruck, frustrated and feeling so powerless!!!

  12. Majority here in the Philippines are poor and are lacking proper education resulting with almost zero integrity.
    That’s why we have Soto, Revilla, Binay, Jinggoy as Senators. And Erap….
    Bistik as Mayor?

    I was having a Phonecon with my 2 sons a month ago. The older one is in the USAF, the young one is with the USN. Both are aware of the problems (corruption) PI is going through.
    The younger one said,” Dad, I know what’s causing it”! ” The Philippines will continue to suffer as long as you (we) have Filipinos living there”. “You are exactly right”, said the older one. He was joking around with that answer but…..was it really a joke?

    I’m a retired Chief by the way now living in Antipolo. Retired a year ago.

    • @sir saltychief, tama po ang mga anak nyo. kung natuloy sana ang pagiging isa pang state ng America ang Pilipinas noong pagkatapos ng ww11 sana disiplinado ang mga PILIPINO tulad ng HAWAII ngayon. kaya lang mayayabang ang mga Pilipino ayaw pasakop(?) daw pero ngayon sinasakop ng mga kawatan, mandarambong at swapang na mga nasa pamahalaan at mga tagapagtanggol ng bansa.

    • I was OFW in a South Pacific nation and heard a remark from a
      hustler Pinoy: “This country is a paradise without its people.

      Was Eden a paradise still after sinners adam and eve were driven out
      after partaking the fruit of knowledge? to roam the wilds and the
      deserts?

      If only we can reach the end of everything say everybody leaves the
      country to become expats, OFWs and immigrants. Ph might have
      been a paradise before Magellan.