Index crimes rise by 7% in Metro

MANILA, Philippines - Index crimes in Metro Manila rose by 7.79 percent in January to 2,558 cases from 2,373 in December 2010, a multinational risk consultancy firm said.

In a report released last March 7, the Pacific Strategies & Assessments (PSA) said areas with the most number of crimes reported include Santa Cruz and Tondo in Manila; Malabon; Navotas; Valenzuela; and Cubao and Project 4 in Quezon City.

PSA data showed that assault was the most reported index crime (858 incidents), followed by theft (830), robbery (813), homicide (32), murder (17) and rape (8).

January’s figure is way higher than the 1,561 incidents recorded by PSA during the same period last year. Despite the high figures, PSA said majority of crimes committed in Metro Manila were unreported.

“Lack of faith in a police force rife with corruption, ineffective crime response, weak investigative capabilities and fear of recrimination are some of the myriad reasons why it is difficult to present an entirely accurate picture of crime incidence,” PSA said.

PSA, nevertheless, said the data presented in its report “are a fair reflection of Metro Manila’s crime trends.”

In the same report, PSA said there were eight crimes against foreigners recorded in January. Five of the incidents happened in Metro Manila, and one each in Central Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

PSA said the nationalities of the victims include British, Dutch, Spanish, French, American and German. “PSA advises that foreigners should under no circumstances resist an attempted robbery. Illicit gun ownership in the Philippines is common, and... criminal gangs can be very dangerous and are not afraid to use extreme violence,” it said.

PSA said expatriates should familiarize themselves with local hospitals when traveling outside Metro Manila.

The report said there were 10 kidnappings in January: five of these were reported in Mindanao, three in Luzon, and two in the Visayas region.

“Two of the three kidnapping cases in Luzon occurred in Metro Manila and were highly-publicized carjacking-murder cases of car dealers,” PSA said, referring to Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano, who were killed by suspected car thieves in January.