Pangasinan as ‘videoke capital’? No way, says board member

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Videoke capital of the country? That’s the last thing board member John Agerico Rosario wants the province to be known as.

In fact, Rosario is alarmed at the mushrooming of videoke bars in the barangays which he claims contribute to problems like prostitution, notwithstanding the noise they create in the wee hours of the morning.

In the board’s session last Friday, Rosario, who represents the fifth district, relayed his concern to Senior Superintendent Alan Purisima, provincial police director.

"This might earn for us the title ‘Videoke Capital of the Philippines,’" he said, noting the growing number of videoke joints throughout the province.

What peeves Rosario more are the clips of scantily clad women flashed on the TV screen as one sings to the lyrics of a song.

Even young children who love to sing are exposed to them, he said, noting that many eateries and sari-sari stores now have videoke machines to attract customers.

Purisima, whom the provincial board invited to apprise it of the peace and order situation, vowed to do something about Rosario’s concern.

He assured the board members that he would instruct his police chiefs to monitor videoke bars in their respective turfs and enforce the laws governing them.

A number of municipal councils in the province have passed ordinances regulating the operations of videoke joints.

Meanwhile, Purisima said the crime volume in the province has gone down by 7.26 percent since he assumed his post last June.

During the period, he said 386 cases of index crimes and 534 of non-index crimes have been recorded.

What have been increasing, he said, are crimes against property, explaining that this may be due to poverty but not to the stoppage of jueteng.