Southern Tagalog still RP’s ‘murder capital’

CEBU CITY — A total of 2,372 murders were reported nationwide from January to May this year, Rep. Ernesto Herrera (Lakas, Bohol), chairman of the anti-crime monitoring group Citizens’ Drug Watch Foundation, reported over the weekend.

The figures translate into a monthly average of 474 murders reported in the first five months — down marginally compared to the 478 monthly average in the whole of last year, Herrera, one of the principal authors of the Death Penalty Law, said.

Citing Philippine National Police statistics, Herrera said Southern Tagalog still had the most number of murders reported at 434 incidents or 18 percent of nationwide total.

Western Visayas followed with 226 cases, while Metro Manila and Western Mindanao had 178 each; Eastern Visayas had 173; Central Mindanao, 161; Central Luzon, 148;

Central Visayas, 144; Bicol, 135; Ilocos, 127; Southern Mindanao, 97; Northern Mindanao, 94; Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, 90; Cagayan Valley, 86; Caraga, 71; and the Cordillera Administrative Region, 30.