Pinoys choose prayer over reporting crime

Eighty-five percent of the people prefer to seek divine intervention rather than file a complaint at the nearest police station, a study undertaken by the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed.

The PNP’s Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) showed only 15 percent of the people trust the police, indicating the diminishing public trust and confidence in the PNP.

The same document obtained by The STAR showed the “people would rather depend on praying for protection instead of reporting the crime to the nearest police station.”

“This is the situation because most of those victimized see crime reporting to be a waste of time, citing slow police action and a cumbersome process of reporting for their decision not to report their encounter with crime,” the ITP study stated.

The program is being implemented by PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. in the effort to bring the police closer to the people.

The same PNP study gave birth to the “Mamang Pulis” program and deployment of 90 percent of the police force to the streets for increased public visibility.

Razon has tapped Deputy Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP deputy chief for administration, to personally ensure the PNP-ITP would be implemented by the 120,000-strong police organization.

In a study as part of the PNP-ITP, The STAR gathered that only 15 percent of crime victims file cases/complaints at the police station or with other law enforcement agencies.

“Low percentage of crime reporting is an indication of diminishing public trust and confidence in the police and the criminal justice system and people would rather depend on praying for protection,” the study noted.

Verzosa, executive director of PNP-ITP, said public perception and the situation of the police stations are among the main issues of the integrated transformation program.

The STAR reported 80 percent of the 1,603 police stations nationwide are squatters on land or buildings owned by local governments or private individuals.

Based on a document prepared by the ITP committee, about 1,282 police precincts are made of inferior materials, making policemen vulnerable to the elements.

Officials admitted the PNP’s inability to construct more solid infrastructure and buildings on properties owned by local government units and privately owned lots.

“We could not afford to construct buildings or precincts on lots that we do not own because of the possibility that we can be moved or evicted anytime,” an official said.