Poverty surge equals crime surge

The Chinese businessmen are getting jittery at the seeming spike in crimes against Filipino-Chinese businessmen, the latest victim being a laundry chain owner who was stabbed to death the other day. While robbery may have been the motive since the attackers ransacked the place, investigators are not ruling out the possibility that it may have been a “hate crime” because the victim was repeatedly stabbed in the face and body. The attackers ran off with the victim’s car and worse, took the man’s four-year-old son who was later found dazedly wandering, his shirt all bloodstained.

Sources informed us that cases of kidnapping are also on the rise in Mindanao – with many of the victims’ families afraid to report to the authorities for fear of reprisals. Even the recent apprehension of a suspected member of a kidnap gang targeting Chinese traders in Mindanao has not allayed the fears of the Fil-Chinese business community in the south. Those in the know claim nothing much has really changed, saying this is the same problem that has been noted last year especially in Cotabato and Basilan. Unfortunately, the kidnappings in Mindanao are not being reflected in official statistics because these are jotted down as terrorist acts – something that anti-crime groups like the Citizens’ Action Against Crime and Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order have decried.

Criminals are not only getting bolder and heartless – killing their victims to avoid being identified – they are also getting more creative, which is why there are now so-called bolt cutter gangs, acetylene gangs and the latest – the termite gang. These criminals would rent a stall or a business location adjacent to the target (usually a pawnshop) and dig up a tunnel leading to their objective. Most likely, the local termite gangs were “inspired” by the French robbers dubbed “The Termites” who tunneled their way into the vault of a Paris bank and carted off at least 22 million euros in cash and jewelry in what has been dubbed as the French crime of the century.

An observer commented that the surge in criminality in the country is related to poverty, with more Filipinos going hungry according to recent Social Weather Stations surveys. While Congress is busy with the impeachment trial of Renato Corona, 4.5 million Filipino families are experiencing hunger. During the poverty summit in December, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma has noted that poverty is mounting, with streets all over the country teeming with beggars. Worse, it’s the children who are out there begging -- risking their lives. According to available statistics, almost 10 million Filipinos live on P32 per day – not even enough to buy a kilo of good quality well-milled rice and not even enough to feed a family of four or five children. The equation is clear, the observer noted – poverty surge equals crime surge.

Record rents in UK

Despite the global financial crisis that has placed a lot of European countries on the brink of bankruptcy, luxury brands seem to have bounced back from the downturn first experienced in 2008, helped no doubt by the growing appetite of the (newly rich) Chinese for high end luxury goods. In the UK for instance, rival brands like Gucci and Tom Ford are trying to outbid each other in leasing coveted store areas in South Kensington – driving up rental rates as a result. An example is US brand Carolina Herrera that was able to outbid seven others for the lease of a 2,000-foot square area at £325,000 a year plus an estimated £350,000 as earnest money.

The big news however is Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo that is paying a record rental of £1,000 (or about $1,576) per square-foot for its Bond Street store said to measure about 3,000 square-foot. The intense competition for space has naturally driven up rent fees in the West End area – making the shops some of the most expensive not only in the UK but many parts of Europe. The escalating rental fees is probably the reason why more and more luxury brands are starting to buy up space in key locations – not to mention the fact that it will stop rival brands from outbidding them the next time. 

Love-hate relationships

Nowadays, there seems to be a lot of hatred and enmity in broken marriages judging from the high-profile lawsuit filed by Susana Madrigal-Bayot against her husband, former Ambassador Francisco “Paqui” Ortigas and the controversy involving the late Congressman Iggy Arroyo’s estranged (second) wife Alice and his companion Grace Ibuna. Love however is still the order of the month, no doubt in anticipation of Valentine’s Day.

Men will be ready to spend for flowers, chocolates, stuffed toys, cards and all the usual things that go with V-Day – stimulating brisk business for all big and small establishments all over the country. Filipinos are known for being romantic, which is why restaurants, hotels, and even airlines are cashing in on the occasion by offering special promos and discounts for couples. According to IBISWorld, a US-based industry and market research outfit, Americans will finally be dining out and traveling more after scrimping for the last couple of years due to the economic recession. Restaurants will see a strong rebound with some $9.5 billion sales projected for 2012, while sales will also increase for jewelry, candy, chocolate, flowers, lingerie and greeting cards.

In the Philippines, it is said that Valentine’s day is a three day or three way affair – with Feb. 14 reserved for the “legal one” and Feb. 13 or 15 scheduled for “the other ones.”

* * *

Email: [email protected].