P142 M in commodities lost to highway thieves since 1996

Since 1996, various commodities from rice and canned goods to computers, electronic products and auto and hardware materials worth a total of P142 million have been lost to highway robbers in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila, police said.

Director Enrique Galang, chief of the Directorate for Operations of the Philippine National Police, said there have been at least 115 hijackings in the two regions since 1996.

Based on 2002 PNP statistics, Central Luzon had the most number of hijackings at 70, followed by Southern Tagalog with 26 and Metro Manila with 15.

This year, seven highway robberies have so far been reported in Central Luzon, one in Southern Tagalog and two in Metro Manila.

The latest statistics, according to Galang, show a 40 percent reduction in hijackings. Fourteen criminal gangs are behind these robberies, he added.

To address these hijackings, Galang said the PNP, government trade officials and the business sector signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) last Monday.

The signatories were top PNP officials led by Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., key executives of the Department of Trade and Industry and Philippine Economic and Zone Authority (PEZA), and representatives of truckers’ and cargo groups, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines and the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines.

In the MOA, they expressed alarm over the continuing spate of highway robberies "despite sustained and intensified police operations against criminal groups."

They also noted that the government and import/export trading firms have been losing considerable revenues because of these incidents.

Ebdane said the PNP has mapped out measures to address hijackings, including a color-coding scheme for trucks and container vans, the setting up of checkpoints along the South Luzon and North Luzon expressways, and the strict background check of drivers and helpers. — Christina Mendez