Filipino gangs copied from Western groups

AUTHORITIES have said that the prevalence of gangs in the Philippines is an adaptation of a popular practice among the youths in the United States and Europe.

Evelyn Nacario-Castro, executive director of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, said that majority of gang-related incidents, from 2004 to 2005 police records, were committed by rival fraternities Tau Gamma Phi and the Alpha Kappa Rho.

A representative of the Regional Development Council said there were also recorded cases involving the Doskellion, Trihedron, Bloods and Crips, which had direly affected the cities of Tagbilaran and Dumaguete for years. Castro added that these groups are present in almost all parts of the country.

Castro said members of the Bloods and the Crips gangsare mostly out-of-school youths and hoodlums. These groups adopted the names of gangs in the United States but without official affiliation.

“Bloods” is a Los Angeles, California street gang with its members known for their red attires. Their symbol is the word “blood” spelled out in the member’s hands. They also consists of sub-groups, also known as “sets."

“Crips” is one of the oldest, largest, and most notorious gangs (identified wiht the blue attire) in the US that a 15-year-old dropout, Raymond Washington, founded in 1969. It originated in Los Angeles, California. It has been invo0lved in murders, robberies, and drug deals.

Professor Imelda Virginia Villar, the main speaker in the forum “Into the Warzone of Gangs and Guns”, said that most of those who affiliate themselves with fraternities, brotherhood and sisterhood, are those that as children are deprived of attention and affection. She said the profile of these persons would usually show that they are in need of a sense of security and belongingness.

From 2004 to 2005, eight people were killed in 31 reported fraternity- and gang-related incidents in Cebu province. Last year, the number of the gang-related deaths increased, including the latest armed robbery resulting in the death of a graduating nursing student. –Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE